Peter Bluntzer (1805-1872) was an early German colonizer in the Coleto area, present Meyersville, who migrated with his wife and children from Oderen, Alsace, to Texas about 1843. Bound for Castroville with other pioneers, he remained in Coleto after his wagon overturned and injured his wife, and his family became the first Catholic family to settle there. A devout Catholic, he later made two return trips to Alsace and brought numerous families to settle in the area. After his young daughter Theresa was stolen by Indians, she was found some months later in the woods, unharmed and dressed like an Indian princess; Bluntzer had always been kind to the local tribes. The first Mass in the community was said in his home in 1852. In 1859, area settlers joined to build De Witt County's first Catholic church, Sts. Peter and Paul Church, on a 15-acre tract he donated; the small log building was dedicated in 1860 and was followed by churches built in 1876, 1892, and the present one of 1939. The first priest was the Rev. J. A. Koenig, and the first resident priest was the Rev. A. Hainke. Many early settlers are buried in the church cemetery, and Bluntzer is buried in San Patricio.