Johannes Brill, another charter member of Trinity Lutheran Church, and his wife, Anna Elizabeth, sailed from Prussia to America in 1873. The Brills had been friends with the Hildebrandts in Germany; and the Hildebrandts, who had come to Texas earlier, had encouraged the Brills to come to Texas. Besides farming, John Brill also raised cattle. His brand was a sledgehammer, and family records show that in 1888 he paid $310 for 30 head of cattle.