Julius M. Gehrt has been successfully identified with Champaign County agriculture for a number of years, and is the owner and proprietor of a fine farm in section 33 of Harwood Township, near the village of Dillsburg.
Mr. Gehrt was born at Lawn Ridge, Illinois, a son of John M. and Catherine (Best) Gehrt. His parents were both born in Germany, came to America in early life, were married in this country and the father is still living, at the ripe age of eighty-three, on his farm in Stark County, Illinois. The mother is now deceased. Julius M. Gehrt was next to the youngest in a family of eight children.
He grew up on his father’s farm in Stark County and attended the public schools at Spear in that county. January 15, 1902, he married Miss Carolina Kuhn. Mrs. Gehrt is a native of Germany, born near the city of Berlin, and fourth among the five children of Philip and Elizabeth (Hoeltzel) Kuhn. The Kuhn children were named Philip, Salome, Fred, Carolina and Elizabeth. When Mrs. Gehrt was eleven years of age the family came to America and she and her brothers and sisters attended the public schools of Peoria and of Stark County, Illinois.
After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Gehrt located on a rented farm in Peoria County, but in 1903 they rented a place of 160 acres owned by his father near Dillsburg in Champaign County. Here their years have been prospered and they now have the active management of a place of 347 acres. Mr. Gehrt is a very methodical and progressive farmer and has introduced many practices approved by experience. He does much stock raising, and has a herd of fine Durham cows and ships large quantities of cream.
Mr. and Mrs. Gehrt are the parents of five children: Forest L., Elmer F., Ernest H., Alice May and Julius. The children are being educated in the Battles school district, and the oldest child, Forest, ‘now twelve years of age, is just entering the eighth grade.
Mrs. Gehrt is an active member of the German Lutheran Church at Gifford and the children attend the Sunday school at Rantoul. Mr. Gehrt has proved public spirited in his community relations as well as progressive in his business as a farmer. He served several years as school trustee and in politics is a stanch Republican. He and his wife maintain a most hospitable home, and their relations with the community have been characterized by neighborly kindness as well as by hard work and the intelligence which has brought them a good home and substantial prosperity.