History of Lee County, Illinois - Bushnell Historical Society

80 HISTORY OF LEE COUNTY
tern known as the Yoeum Telephone Lines was established. This
has grown with great rapidity, exchanges being now operated in
West Brooklyn and Compton and the lines covering seventy square
miles of territory.
In West Brooklyn, October 16, 1878, Mr. Yocum married Miss
Martha Cooper, a daughter of William and Hannah Cooper, both
of whom have passed away. Mr. and Mrs. Yocum have one son,
Floyd, a telephone manager at Ventura, California. Mr. Yocum
is independent in his political views and, while not an office seeker,
is interested in the development of the conununity in which he
so long resided. To its progress he has made many substantial
contributions in the course of years, winning for himself a place
among men of marked ability and substantial worth.
GROVER W. GEHANT.
The student of history cannot carry his investigations far into
the records of Lee county without learning how long and promi-
nently the Gehant family have been connected with the material
development and substantial upbuilding of this section.
Modest Salastine Gehant, grandfather of Grover W. Gehant,
arriA'ed here from France, at an early epoch in the development of
the county and his descendants have since been very active in fur-
thering the work of public j^rogress through identification with
agricultural, commercial and professional interests.
Grover W. Gehant was born in Brooklyn township, Lee county,
Illinois, on August 28, 1885, being the eldest of six children of
Xavier F. and Lena M. (Gallisath) Gehant, a sketch of whom
appears elsewhere in this work. His early educational opportim-
ities were supplemented by a course in North Dixon high school
followed by a complete commercial and stenographic course in
Coppins' Commercial College, this city. He then entered the
Northern Illinois College of Law at Dixon for a full three years'
law course from which institution he graduated with the class of
1911. Shortly after graduation he was admitted to practice and
opened a law office in Dixon from which time he has been actively
engaged in the practice of the law.
In the spring of 1913 Mr. Gehant was elected justice of the
peace and has also acted as deputy clerk to the circuit court of
Lee county. He is also a notary public. On July 30, 1913. he