Lutheranism in America between 1840 and 1875 was divided into fifty-eight autonomous synods. Many were denominated by their states, such as the Wisconsin Synod, or were identified by the heritage of their membership, such as the Norwegian-Danish Conference. The Missouri Synod, founded in 1847 with a heavily German immigrant membership, was the largest of these groups and the first to establish a presence in California, in 1860.