In the early history of the country, the desire for home ownership and self-employment drew many people westward, and Pleasant Valley Townships No. 1 and No. 2 in Pawnee County, Kansas, shared in that movement. People of numerous religious denominations settled there and first worshiped in established schoolhouses before later building their own churches. Among the most prominent groups in the area were Methodists, Brethren, Mennonites, and Catholics. As the community grew, residents agreed that provision should be made for Christian burial, and late in the 19th century the Henry Pratt family deeded about three acres in the northeast corner of Section 8, Range 16, Township 23 to the Pleasant Valley Cemetery Association for a burial ground beside the Pratt School House grounds, which later became part of the cemetery. The community's church life included the Methodist Church from 1911 to 1968, the Brethren Church from 1905 to 1961, the Mennonite Church from 1905 to 1940, and the Dublin Church from 1885 to 1894.