Heinrich Julius Müller
Reiseprediger

Heinrich Julius Mueller, born Dec. 12, 1837 in Teyndorf Germany (near Celle, Lüneburger Heide) was the son of a cowherd at a large farm near Rosche. He applied to the missionary school in Hermannsburg and was accepted May 2, 1866. His biography (Lebenslauf) was submitted to the missionary school and is in the archives there today. (Click HERE for the original Lebenslauf and an English translation.)

Heinrich came to America in 1869 and spent a year in St. Louis, Missouri at Concordia Seminary doing graduate work in the ministry. In 1870 he had his first pastorate at St. John's Evangelical Lutheran church in Willow Creek, Blue Earth County, Minnesota. He was there from 1870 until 1875. He started more than 30 congregations from Lake Crystal to Laverne, Minnesota.

His first wife, Marie Hemsoth, died in childbirth a short time after they were married. His second wife was Dorothea Dageförde. Dorothea's father was also a student at the Hermannsburg Missionary School with Heinrich Julius and had travelled on the same ship to America. Heinrich Dageförde was a pastor in Wisconsin after arriving in the United States.

Heinrich in later years (rather mystic looking isn't he?)

The ship "Saxonia" from Hamburg arrived in New York on 02 Sept. 1869.

On the shiplist were the following:

Mueller, J. age 32 missionary
15 others also listed as missionaries
Dageforde, Heinrich age 40 missionary Dageforde, Marie age 42, Dora age 19,
Marie age 7
(Note: Heinrich Dageforde was the only missionary on the ship with a family).

Ancestry of Heinrich Julius Müller

Ernst Jürgen Müller of Luttendorf, Germany, wife unknown

Johann Heinrich Müller of Nateln, Germany
md. 1792 Anna Margaretha Dorothea Bußen (father Johann Hinrich Bußen of Nateln)

1- daughter 1798

2- Johann Heinrich Christian Müller b. 1800 1st wife Katharine Maria Tewes, Rosche b. Jan 14, 1805, d. May 13, 1846 (father Johann Julius Tewes ofPrielip, mother Dorothea Elisabetha Schultze of Rosche)

1- Jürgen Friedrich Müller b. Nov. 4, 1833

2- Heinrich Julius Müller b. Dec. 12, 1837 Teyndorf d. Mar 18, 1920 Lakefield, MN 1st wife Marie Henseth, d. 1870 in Willow Creek, MN 2nd wife Dorothea Marie Dageförde *SEE DAGEFÖRDE LINE* b. April 22, 1850 in Müden Germany, died June 6, 1921 married in Madison, Wisconsin Oct. 9, 1872

2nd wife of Johann Heinrich Christian Müller: Dorothea Marie Martens b. May 5, 1848

3-Catherine Wilhelmine Elisabethe Müller, b. 1845 in Göddenstedt

Wedding Photo of
Heinrich Julius Müller and Dorothea Dageförde
Madison, Wisconsin Oct. 9, 1872

Children of Heinrich Julius Müller and Dorothea Dageförde

early 1891
rear Henry, Marie, Clara, Ernst, Lydia
front Dorothea (mother), Dorothea, Louise, Heinrich Julius (father)

Clara (Oct. 5, 1873-Oct. 7, 1960) md. Otto Mueller	children: Renata, Louise, Otto, Roland
Marie Rosena (June 5, 1875-June 30, 1963 md. Albert Schulz	children: Arnold, Martin, Henry, Walter
Lydia (July 7, 1877-Sept. 25, 1972) md. Paul Ristau	children: Laurence, Tabeah, Martin, Lydia, Paul
Henry Frederick Charles (April 22, 1879-Sept. 22, 1956) md. Mathilda Hagemann	children: Henry, Renatus, Adelbert, Mathilda, Dorothy, Adeline, Winfred, Henrietta
Ernst August Julius (June 3, 1881-Dec. 27, 1915) md. Louise Menk	children: Theodora, Adelaide, Manfred, Carolyn
Dorothea (Sept. 1, 1883-Oct. 6, 1899)
Louise (Feb. 6, 1886-Dec. 15, 1980)
Johannes Theodor Wilhelm (Sept 15, 1889 - Dec 15, 1890)
Martin Herman Leopold (Aug. 31, 1891-Sept. 1964) md. Mabel Marie Galle	children: Dorothy, Martin, Richard, Marilyn

Reiseprediger (Travelling Preacher)

Pastor Heinrich Müller was ordained on August 7, 1870 and installed at St. John's at Willow Creek, Minnesota. Life on the stark prarie claimed the lives of his first wife, Maria, and child. On October 9, 1872, Heinrich married Dorothea Dageförde.

Pastor Müller journeyed to remote communities to bring the word of God to the believers. Summer and winter, not complaining, he walked countless miles to bring the gospel to scattered settlements where trains, horseback or ox-cart could not take him. On one of his trips he travelled by train to the Town Rost mission expecting a member to meet him. When no one showed up, he decided to go on foot. The short December day soon became night. Losing his trail he trudged along and finally came to a plowed furrow. He figured that at the end of the furrow he would get to a sod house or some humble shelter for the night. The furrow came to an abrupt end. In the dark he stumbled into an obstruction. A fence post? No! It fell over and out came a man from nowhere to see why the stove pipe of his underground "sod home" had made breathing impossible.

On another mission foray, Heinrich landed in a pioneer Lutheran home at nightfall. The evening meal took its course normally, but when bedtime came there was only one living/cooking/sleeping room. There was only one bed of sacked corn leaves and that was for father and mother. The children were on straw-corn bags, feather beds and pillows. "Well," so said the man and his wife nonchalantly agreed, "the bed is big enough for three." And so it was - der Prediger on the wall side, the Herr Papa in the middle and the gute Hausfrau held on to the other side until the new day dawned.

The first parish at Willow Creek was the most fruitful of Heinrich's ministry. This ministry extended from Willow Creek to the entire southwestern part of Minnesota and into adjacent parts of Iowa and South Dakota. This work was done between the years 1870 to 1886.

In October, 1886 Heinrich was installed at Lester Prairie, Minnesota where he stayed until 1896. In addition to the pressing responsibilities of a large congregation, he taught parochial school without any aid.

In early April, 1899, Pastor Mueller received a call to Brewster, Nobles County, Minnesota. Here he continued his work as pastor until 1916. At the age of 79 he retired to Lakefield, Minnesota. He died March 19, 1920. Heinrich and his wife are buried in Immanuel Cemetery west of Lakefield, Minnesota.

H.J. and wife Dorothea about 1910

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Last update: September 5, 2009