Germans first came to Texas in 1821, immigrated by the hundreds in the 1840s, and in the 1880s began moving into Hill County, where land was made available by earlier settlers including G. W. McNeese, the Savage family, A. D. Walling, the Whites, and the Worleys. The first to arrive in 1882 were Fritz Lentz and Alex Radke, followed by families named Degner, Dietz, Gehrels, Gehring, Geltmeier, Hodde, Huse, Kaddatz, Kelm, Klein, Klinkert, Krueger, Kunkel, Maas, Manske, Manthei, Meyer, Neumann, Piel, Reinke, Schronk, Schulz, Sonnenberg, Schmidt, Steffer, Strauch, and Zettler. Pastor J. C. Rieger came from West, 16 miles southwest, and held church services in settlers' homes. Salem Lutheran Congregation was organized with 15 charter members on June 6, 1886, and a church building was erected three months later. St. Peters Lutheran Church was founded July 1, 1906, at Walling with nine charter members. Religious leaders, some of whom also taught in the parochial school, included Pastors Bartel, Finke, Gaertner, Heinmeier, Hodde, Hopmann, Kramer, Liefer, Machina, Oertel, Seils, Walters, and Wunderlich. Through diligence and thrift, these settlers made garden spots of their farms and, with love of God, family, and music, created a goodly heritage.