Leaf Valley Township
Compiled and written by Ginny Swartz
Leaf Valley Township was established by the board of county commissioners 23 November 1867 and is
comprised of congressional Township 130, Range 38. 
The first meeting was to be held at the house of
Willard B. Ellis on 14 December 1867. The name Leaf Valley refers to its location just south of the Leaf Hills, also called "Leaf Mountains", area just to the north of the township in Otter Tail County. The population of the township was German Lutheran along the
north and east, Irish and German Catholic along the west and south.
The only town located in the township is Leaf Valley which formed at a cross road. The village boasted a town hall, post office, general store, feed mill, and a large co-op creamery along with a number of homes. No railroad came through the area in the vicinity of the town.
School District #23 was located in Section 34; District #59 in Section 14; District #43 in Section 7; District #28 in Section 29; and District #53 in Section 4.
Churches serving the township were an Evangelical Lutheran Church in Section 33 and St. James Lutheran, located on the county line above Section 4 in Otter Tail County. Cemeteries include Ebenezer German Lutheran in Section 34 and the Ellis Family Plot located in Section 28 in the Village of Leaf Valley.
The Catholic residents went to Millerville or Urbank for church.
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According to records located in the Recorder�s Office at the Douglas County courthouse, the following individuals were the first owners who received a patent from the U.S. Goverment on land in Leaf Valley Township. The year noted is the year the patent was recorded; often the individuals had been on the land one or two years prior to recording the patent.
Enoch H. Alden - Section 1, 1873Enoch H. Alden - Section 2, 1873
William Marquardt - Section 3, 1869
Henrick Thies - Section 4, 1869
Wilhelm Fentzke - Section 5, 1873
John Johnson - Section 6, 1873
Martin Faust - Section 7, 1874
Emil Nuscke - Section 8, 1872
John S. Evans - Section 9, 1868
Henry Thies - Section 10, 1876
Willard A. Alden - Section 11, 1871
William Johnston, Section 12 1878
Wallace Kibbe - Section 13, 1875
Samuel Pollard - Section 14, 1871
John S. Evans - Section 15, 1873
Peter Smith - Section 17, 1876
Andreas Reger - Section 18, 1874
Peter Ley - Section 19, 1873
Wilson Davidson - Section 20, 1870
Lorenzo D. Peck - Section, 21, 1868
Lorenzo D. Peck - Section 22, 1868
Isaac Johnson - Section 23, 1871
John H. Hartew (Hartwig) - Section 24, 1873
Simon L. West - Section 26, 1873
Stockly Robertson - Section 27, 1876
W. B. Ellis - Section 28
John Comoford - Section 29, 1872
Peter Ley - Section 30, 1873
Patrick Kelly - Section 31, 1873
William B. West - Section 32, 1881
Johan F.N. Groseneck - Section 33, 1876
Andrew Anderson - Section 34, 1876
Andrew Anderson - Section 35, 1876