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Pleasant Valley Township
by L. L. Bausman

extracted from Atlas of Grundy County Iowa, 1911

March 1, A. D. 1858, Township Eighty-nine (89), Range Eighteen (18), and Township Eighty-nine (89), Range Seventeen (17), was organized and named Orcutt Township. An election was ordered to be held in the above named township by Judge R. T. Vinton, then Judge of Grundy County, at the house of Adna Orcutt, situated on the northeast quarter, section 35, township 89, range 18 on the fifth day of April, A. D. 1858.

Shortly after the organization of Orcutt Township, the first settlers began trailing into what is now called Pleasant Valley Township. Among the earliest settlers to our best recollection and information were; John Elliott, settled on southwest quarter, section 12; Joseph Griffin, southwest quarter, section 18; Charles Kincaid and son Charles H. on southwest quarter, section 30; Lewellin House, northeast quarter, section 8; A. B. Holmes, southwest quarter, section 30; Wiard Boomgaarden, southeast quarter, section 16; Frank S. and Irvin W. Tewksberry, northeast quarter, section 11, with Chauncy Dyke constituted the voting population of Pleasant Valley at the time of its organization in September, 1866.

At the September session, A. D. 1866, of the Board of Supervisors of Grundy County, it was ordered by motion that the township of Orcutt be divided on the township line. It was further ordered in response to a petition that the Congressional Township Nol. 89, Range No. 18, be named German Township from and after January 1, A. D. 1867. It was further ordered by motion that Congressional Township No. 89, Range 17 West, be named Pleasant Valley Township from and after January 1, A. D. 1867. The first general election in and for Pleasant Valley Township was held at Buck Grove schoolhouse, October 9, A. D. 1866, and the following township officers were elected: County Supervisor, John Elliott; Trustees, Charles H. Kincaid, Chauncy Dyke, and John Elliott; Township Clerk, Frank S. Tewksberry; Assessor, Irvan W. Tewsberry. The above officers were elected without opposition. Nine ballots being cast at this election as follows: John Elliott, Charles H. Kincaid, Charles Kincaid, Frank S. Tewksberry, Irvan W. Tewksberry, Chauncy Dyke, Joseph Griffin, Lewellin House and A. B. Holmes.

Pleasant Valley now being a full fledged township, fully able to take care of herself, immigration began pouring into the township thick and fast, and located in different parts of the new township.

William Schultz and son John J., later supervisor six years from this township, located on northwest quarter, section 30, in 1868. In 1869, John Martin, John Getting, Matthias Benz, Jacob Kintz, R. T. Schenck, O. P. Filer, W. S. Billings and his brother, George Billings, Ontje Knock and others came.

In 1870, Adna Orcutt of Orcutt Township fame and supervisor from that township during from 1856 to 1867, moved to Pleasant Valley Township from German Township with his sons, R. G. Orcutt and Noal Orcutt, and settled on the southwest quarter, section 21. The same year the Galpin boys, Francis E., W. C., Eugene S., and Ed L., came from Baileyville, Illinois, and located on northeast quarter, section 27, where Francis E. died February 27, 1911, the last of the early Galpins in Pleasant Valley.

In 1871, the Meester boys, John, Jacob and Daniel, located in the southeast part of Pleasant Valley on sections 35 and 36, where Jacob and Daniel Meester still reside, now the patriarchs of the township. During the winter of 1865-66, one thousand Indians pitched their tents at Buck Grove for the winter but did not molest the few settlers then in the neighborhood.