This afternoon I stumbled across an 1880 photograph of Texas Synod pastors on the ELCA Southwestern Synod Archives’ site.
https://swtsynod.pastperfectonline.com/…/C961483D-E2A3-4D36…
Some of the folks I’ve written about in the past months are pictured here, including the Rev. Frederick Jesse (who joined the Missouri Synod in 1890), the Rev. George Lieb of Round Top (who came out and met with Rev. Kilian, and later served as the first pastor of St. Peter’s in Serbin), and the Rev. C.C. Rudi (who served as the second and last pastor of St. Peter’s).
The photo looks to be a composite photo of individual portraits, but it also notes that it shows “which members were joined in Frelsburg, Texas” so perhaps they were assembled in Frelsburg for a synodical convention.
Margie and I drove through Frelsburg back in January of 2017 and I took this photo of Trinity Lutheran Church there (we actually met my brother down in Columbus that evening for dinner).
Trinity was founded in 1855, not long after the Texas Synod was established. I’m not sure when the building was built– one source guesstimates the early 1900s.
Bishop Michael Rinehart of the ELCA’s Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast Synod has some information about Trinity Frelsburg:
https://bishopmike.com/2015/12/11/trinity-frelsburg-texas/