In Memory of George Ferdinand Muller

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George Ferdinand Muller
Birth: Sep. 27, 1805
Sachsen-Anhalt, Germany
Death: Mar. 10, 1898
Gloucestershire, England

Christian evangelist. Missionary. Philanthropist. George was born in Kroppenstaedt, Prussia, now Kroppenstedt, Germany, as Johann Georg Ferdinand Müller. His parents were Johann Freidrich Müller and Sophie Eleanor Haase. George had a brother named Friedrich Wilhem Müller. He also had a half brother named Franz "Frank" Müller. George's early years were full of drinking, stealing, gambling, and lying. At sixteen he was sent to prison for defrauding a hotel-keeper. 

Things turned around for George when a friend from the University of Halle, where George's father sent him to study divinity, invited him to a prayer meeting. He was welcomed there and began attending regularly. After seeing a man pray on his knees he was convinced he needed salvation and stopped his sinful way of life and was called to be a missionary.

George married Mary Groves on 7th October 1830 in St Davids church, Exeter. They had four children:

a stillborn child (9 Aug 1831)
Lydia (b. 17 Sep 1832 d. 10 Jan 1890)
Elijah (b. 19 Mar 1834 d. 25 June 1835)
a stillborn child (12 Jun 1838)

He saw the great awakening of 1859 which he said "led to the conversion of hundreds of thousands."1 He did follow up work for D. L. Moody, preached for Charles Spurgeon, and inspired the missionary faith of Hudson Taylor.

His fellow worker, Henry Craik, died on January 22, 1866, followed by the death of his wife on February 6, 1870. They were married 39 years. She was 72 and had suffered from rheumatic fever. James Wright married Mueller's daughter, Lydia in 1871 and also replaced Craik as his associate. George only saw one of his children, Lydia, grow to adulthood but sadly, he found out she had died from influenza while he was on a trip to India. Nineteen months after Mary died, George remarried to a woman 13 years his junior named Susannah Grace Sangar. 

George had a great aptitude for languages and was able to preach in English, French, and German. He was also a man of prayer. He prayed for everything and expected God to answer his prayers. He never asked for donations. He was never in debt. He first came to Bristol, England to preach in Bethesda Chapel and it was from this visit that he saw the plight of many orphans there thus, he founded the now famous Müller Orphanage. He cared for over 10,000 orphans in his life. On one occasion they sat down to eat and there was no food in the house. George prayed. A knock came on the door from a baker who had freshly made loaves of bread to feed everyone. The milk man also gave them milk because his cart broke down in front of the orphanage. 

Besides managing 5 orphanages, George established over 117 schools which brought Christian education to over 120,000 children including orphans. In his nephew's book, Edward Groves describes how he was summoned to his uncle George's room on the morning of his death, "Having just drunk a glass of water, he laid himself down and apparently without a struggle or spasm of pain, gently breathed his last". He was buried by the side of his two wives.

After George's death, his work was continued by The George Müller Foundation, which was renamed The George Müller Charitable Trust on 1 March 2009. 

Former Honorary Directors and years of service:

George Müller (Founder) (1834-1898)
James Wright (1898-1905)
George Frederic Bergin (1905-1912)
William M Bergin (1912-1930)
Alfred E Green (1930-1940)
Thomas Tilsley (1940-1952)
John McCready (1952-1958)
James J Rose (1958-1986)
Joseph Cowan (Director) (1986-1988)
Robert L Scott-Cook (1988-1994)
Julian P Marsh (1994-2008)

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Info by original memorial creater:

Founder of the Ashley Down Orphanage. 
 
Family links: 
 Spouses:
  Mary Groves Muller (1797 - 1870)
  Susannah Grace Sanger Muller (1817 - 1894)
 
 Children:
  Lydia Muller Wright (1832 - 1890)*
  Elijah Muller (1834 - 1835)*
 
*Calculated relationship
 
Inscription:
The writing on the tombstone is as follows:

"In Loving Memory of George Muller, Founder of the Ashley Down Orphange.

Born September 27, 1805

Fell asleep March 10, 1898
__________

He trusted in God with whom "nothing shall be impossible," and in His beloved Son Jesus Christ our Lord who said "I go unto My Father, and whatsoever ye shall ask in My name that will I do that the Father, may be glorified in the Son."

And in His inspired word which declares that "All things are possible to Him that believeth."

And God fulfilled these declarations in the experience of His servant by enabling him to provide and care for about ten thousand orphans.

 
Burial:
Arnos Vale Cemetery 
Arnos Vale
Bristol Unitary Authority
Bristol, England

​Taken from:

​http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=38554103