Latin Settlements of Texas

The "Latin Settlements" were five communities in Texas where most of the settlers were highly educated immigrants from Germany. The name came about because in the German culture of the time the knowledge of Latin was considered to be both a prerequisite for higher learning and a sign of educational attainment. Established during the late 1840s, the Latin Settlements included Millheim in Austin County, Latium in Washington County, Bettina in Llano County, and Sisterdale and Tusculum in Kendall County. Many of the residents of these settlements, who were sometimes referred to as Lateiner ("Latin ones"), were political refugees who had fled Germany in the wake of the abortive 1848 revolution. A number of them later attained prominence in medicine, education, law, journalism, and politics.