Thomas Clarence Larson


Date and place of birth-January 8, 1891
Date and place of death-October 21, 1939
Marriage date and place-September 29, 1927, Story City, Iowa
Names of children-Boyd Allen Larson
Name of spouse-Kathryn Boyd
U.S. military service record-Served as a SSG at Ft. Dodge Iowa during WWI
Places the person lived-Iowa and Illinois
Where the person "fits" in our family tree- My Grandpa

This information was taken from a type written document found in family files.

T. C. Larson was born January 8, 1891 at Huxley, Iowa. He was baptized at the Palistine Church. Confirmed at the Lincoln Church at Slater, Iowa by Rev. H. J. Holman. He attended the local schools and graduated in 1910.
He enlisted in the U. S. Army in 1917 at Camp Dodge, Iowa and was honorably discharged on his mothers birthday, January 22, 1919.
He was married to Kathryn Boyd of Story City, Iowa September 29, 1927 and from that date lived in Springfield, Ill until about two weeks ago when he and his family moved to Slater, Iowa.
T. C. Larson suffered a nervous breakdown approximately four years ago from which he apparently had recovered and was able to go back to work for about a year and a half. He however has been in very poor health for the past two years and died in his home October 21, 1939 in Slater, Iowa at the age of 48 years old.
He is survived by his wife Kathryn and son Boyd Allen and a sister and brother of Slater, namely Tildi and Burton and a brother Austin of St. Paul Minn.

This was a newspaper article found in papers that Grandma Larson kept. The date and author are unknown.

" A bathrobe presented him by Frank Gotch, onetime wrestling champion of the world, is a prized possession of T. C. Larson, 1913 South College street. Mr. Larson, who has been a Springfield resident for eight years, now is a patient at the Veterans hospital at Dwight, but is improving and expects to return home soon.

The story about the bathrobe was revealed when Edgar Harlan visited Larson while the latter was a patient in a local hospital, before going to Dwight. Mr. Larson had worn the bathrobe to the hospital, where he was taken after a stroke. He told Mr. Harlan about the gift.

Many years ago when Larson lived in Des Moines, Ia., he and a number of other young men used to train under Gotch. Larson himself was a lightweight wrestler. When Gotch met Hackenschmidt in Chicago for the championship, the Iowa wrestler took Larson and the other boys to Chicago with him. They occupied ringside seats.

After the bout, which Gotch won, he gave the bathrobe that he wore on entering the ring to Larson as a souvenir. And Larson has kept it all the years since."

This is just a little bit of Larson History.


This is another newspaper clipping that was found in Grandma Larson's papers. The date and author are also unknown.

"The Hon. Oley Nelson received a special air mail letter the other day, which he values very highly. It was sent him by Clarence T. Larson, who is located at Springfield Illinois. It being Lindy Day at Springfield, the letter was picked up by the now noted world flyer on his hop to Chicago, from where another aviator carried it to Des Moines, from where it reached Mr. Nelson by the usual route. Coming as it did from Springfield, the home of President Lincoln, and later his burial place, the incident called to mind memories of the civil war, Mr. Nelson being a veteran and the son of a veteran of the great struggle. It might be added that Mr. Nelson cast his first vote for Lincoln."

Mr. Larson received a reply letter from Mr. Nelson dated Oct 7. 1932. It was addressed to Mr. and Mrs. T. C. Larson of Springfield. This letter was on letterhead paper from the National Headquarters of the Grand Army of the Republic. Mr. Nelson was a Past Seniof Vice Commander in Chief of the organization.