In the book's own words, not ours, with obvious scanning errors fixed. Families often supplied these stories to the publisher, so check key dates.
Born 1858
From An illustrated history of Jackson County, Minnesota (1910)
JOHN LARSON (1902) is a Belmont township farmer. He is a native of Sweden and was born May 8, 1858, the eldest of a family of six children born to Gustav and Mary (Anderson) Larson. The other children of this family are Oscar, Augusta, Hannah, Sophia and Tillie Nelson.
Mr. Larson resided with his parents in Sweden until fourteen years old; then he worked out for a few years and in 1875 crossed the water to America. The first seventeen years of his life in the new world were passed as a resident of Bureau county, Illinois, where he worked out for a few years and then engaged in farming. From 1892 to 1902 he lived in Emmet county, Iowa, where he bought land and engaged in farming. He came to Jackson county in the year last mentioned, bought his present farm of 160 acres on sections 9 and 15, Belmont township, and has since made his home there. He is a director of school district No. 123 and has served as road overseer. He is a member of the M. W. A. lodge. In Bureau county, Illinois, our subject was married on June 17, 1885, to Clara A. Larson, fl native of Sweden. To this union have been born nine children, named as follows: Jolin (deceased), Susie, Willie, Esther, Ivan, Mary, Lewis, Ivi and Vernie.
As printed in An illustrated history of Jackson County, Minnesota (1910). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.
The printed record stops around 1910. We trace your line from there down to you, with every source cited.