History of Lee County, Illinois - Bushnell Historical Society

HISTORY OF LEE COUNTY
his death iii 1897. His wife survived him two years and passed
away at the age of seventy-two.
Andrew Gehaut acquired his education in the public schools
of West Brooklyn, laying aside his boolcs at the age of sixteen.
He then assisted his father with the work of the farm until the
latter 's deatli, after which he came into possession of the home-
stead which he still owns. Upon it he has erected an excellent
residence and substantial farm buildings and has carried forward
the work of cultivation along modern lines, making the property
one of the finest in his locality. He keeps twenty-two head of
cattle, fifty swine and seven horses, and his stock-raising interests
form one of the important sources of his income.
In West Brooklyn, July 10, 1899, Mr. Gehant married Miss
Pauline Jeanguenat, a daughter of Peter and Rose Jeanguenat,
the latter of whom passed away in 1896 and is buried in Portsmouth,
Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. Gehant have four children: Agues,
Anthony, Lucille and Carl A.
Mr. Gehant is a member of the Roman Catholic church and is
connected fraternally with the Catholic Order of Foresters. His
political allegiance is given to the democratic j)arty. A repre-
sentative of one of the best known families of his locality, he has
by his honorable principles and straightforward dealing added
greatly to the high esteem in which his name is held.
LOUIS GEHANT.
The agricultural interests of Lee county find a worthy repre-
sentative in Louis Gehant, who owns and operates an excellent
farm of one hundred and sixty acres on section 30, Viola township.
His birth occurred in this county on the 26th of September,
1883, his parents being Laurent E. and Mary (Henry) Gehant.
A sketch of tlie father, who is a prominent agriculturist of Viola
township, appears on another page of this work.
] jouIs Gehant attended school in this county until fifteen years
of age and subsequently assisted his father in the work of the
home faim for about nine years. On the expiration of that period
he came into possession of a tract of one hundred and sixty acres
on section 30, Viola township, the operation of which has claimed
his time and energies continuously since. He raises the cereals
best adapted tc soil and climate and also devotes considerable
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