Settlers first arrived in the area that became the Elm community during the 1850s. Located about 12 miles northwest of Dallas and later about two miles north of Irving after Irving's founding in 1903, Elm included early settlers such as Nicholas Farine, who emigrated from France as a member of the La Reunion Colony. After that colony failed in the late 1850s, the Farine family moved to Elm in 1859. Other pioneer families in the region included the Tolers, Metkers, and Storys. Farming was the community's primary occupation, with local farmers raising cotton, hay, fruits, and vegetables. In 1899, local farmer and merchant John Finley Mills opened the area's first post office, the Finley Post Office, which served about 75 families until it closed in 1902. In the early 20th century, the O'Connor family operated a large dairy farm there. Elm School began in the early 1880s when five local men each contributed $25 for materials to build it, and the school taught grades 1 through 7; a new school building was built in 1934. John Finley Mills, who came to Elm with his sister Jane shortly after the Civil War, also opened a general store during the 1880s and later served as postmaster. The Elm community was absorbed by urban growth as the City of Irving annexed the farming area during the 1950s and 1960s, and street names such as Metker and Toler remain as reminders of the early community.