German Settlers in Hill County

Duane's take

Here's my telling of the official marker for German Settlers in Hill County, straight from the Texas Historical Commission's own inscription. Now, every good story needs a before. Germans first came to Texas way back in 1821.

Then, in the 1840s, they were arriving by the hundreds. But Hill County, that came later. It wasn't until the 1880s that German families started making their way into this particular corner of Texas.

When they got here, there was land waiting. Earlier settlers had seen to that. Names like G.

W. McNeese, the Savage family, A. D.

Walling, the Whites, the Worleys. They had come before, and they made room. Now, the first two Germans to arrive in Hill County, back in 1882, were Fritz Lentz and Alex Radke.

Two men, a new place, and behind them, a whole wave about to break. Because after Lentz and Radke came the families. And friend, there were families.

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. Say those names out loud sometime. That is a community takin' shape, one family at a time.

They needed a church, of course. A German community without a church is a story without an ending. Pastor J.

C. Rieger traveled from West, sixteen miles to the southwest, and held services right in the settlers' homes. No building, no pews, just faith and a willing host.

Then on June 6, 1886, the Salem Lutheran Congregation was organized, fifteen charter members strong. Three months later, they had a church building standing. Three months.

That is not a community draggin' its feet. Then came St. Peters Lutheran Church, founded July 1, 1906, out at Walling, nine charter members at its founding.

The religious leaders who served these congregations, 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. Teachers and preachers both, in some cases. That is the kind of dedication that holds a community together across generations.

The marker says it plainly and it says it well: by diligence and thrift, these people made garden spots of their farms. And with love of God, of family, and of music, they created a goodly heritage. That last part, the music, that's not a detail to skip past.

It tells you something about who these people were. They worked hard, they worshipped faithfully, and then they made music. Right here in Hill County, Texas.

What the marker says

Germans first came to Texas in 1821, immigrated by the hundreds in the 1840s, and in the 1880s began to move into Hill County. Here land was made available by such earlier settlers as G. W. McNeese, the Savage family, A. D. Walling, the Whites, the Worleys. First to arrive (1882) were Fritz Lentz and Alex Radke. Later came 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 erected a church building 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) have included pastors Bartel, Finke, Gaertner, Heinmeier, Hodde, Hopmann, Kramer, Liefer, Machina, Oertel, Seils, Walters, and Wunderlich. By diligence and thrift, these people made garden spots of their farms; and with love of God, of family, and of music, they created a goodly heritage.