of the institution. He is regarded as one of the able financiers of the county, and by his close attention to a calling for which he seems eminently adapted he has greatly added to the resources and prestige of the bank. He is also interested with Johnson Brothers in farming, now having charge of more than five hundred acres in this part of the state.
On the 16th of November, 1892, at Des Moines, Mr. Larson was united in marriage to Miss Gustie Nutson, a native of Illinois but of Norwegian parentage, and by this union four children have been born : Florence G. and Jessie, both of whom are attending the high school ; Charlotte N., now in the primary school ; and Edna O.
Mr. Larson now gives his support to the prohibitionist party but was for many years a prominent factor in republican councils. He holds membership in the Odd Fellows, the Knights of Pythias and the Modern Woodmen of America, and he and his wife are active members of the Methodist Episcopal church, in which he has served as steward and trustee and also as Sunday school superintendent. For nineteen years he has been a member of the school board and for thirteen years past has filled the chair of president of that body. He takes great interest in educational and church work, devoting a large part of his time in those interests and also contributing very liberally to all worthy demands. He ranks as a leader in Story county, both as a business man and as a self-sacrificing citizen, whose constant aim is to add to the comfort and happiness of others. While he is a banker he is also a great lover of nature and the call of the farm has for him a charm that he often finds hard to resist. He has a host of friends who have been attracted by his spirit of helpfulness, which is one of the most desirable traits that can be possessed by any human being.
JACOB W. McCord.
Jacob W. McCord, an enterprising and progressive agriculturist, is the owner of one hundred and sixty acres of land in Collins township, where he is extensively engaged in the raising of shorthorn cattle and Duroc Jersey hogs. His birth occurred in Des Moines county, Iowa, on the 25th of October, 1851, his parents being Commodore P. and Sarah E. (Smith) McCord. The father, who was born in Clermont county, Ohio, on the 10th of October, 1826, was reared in the Buckeye state and in 1850 journeyed westward to Iowa, locating in Des Moines county. Two years later, in the fall of 1852, he came to Story county, where the remainder of his life was spent. Entering a tract of government land in Collins township, he erected thereon a log cabin and began farming. On the 14th of August, 1862, he enlisted for service in the Civil war, joining Company K, Twenty-third Iowa Volunteer Infantry. On the 17th of May, 1863, at the battle of Black River Bridge, Mississippi, he was so severely wounded in the