Heinrich Müller

born on 5 March 1838 in Harscheid
died on 13 April 1900 in Elberfeld

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In Elberfeld, in the 1860 years, Heinrich Müller started his own business in Elberfeld as a builder. There, in the middle of the building boom of the so-called German „Gründerjahre“**, an Elberfeld bank owner* became financee and partner of the young entrepreneur. Together with him Heinrich Müller did building work of large dimensions in the following years, and thus the story of his unusual success as a selmademan in Wilhelminian Germany started.

Christian Heinrich Müller

was the younger son and fourth of five children of Helena Alberts and Johann Heinrich Müller. He was born on 5th March 1838 at 2:00 h p.m. in Harscheid and died on 13th April 1900 (Good Friday) in Elberfeld. His mother Helena Alberts was a farmer's daughter from Harscheid in the parish of Nümbrecht, Oberbergisches Land (an area east of Cologne), Johann Heinrich Müller was a peasant and mason, originating from the neighbouring village of Lindscheid, who subsequently settled in his wife's home village Harscheid, where their son Heinrich was born and grew up.

After finishing school in Harscheid Heinrich Müller jr. did a mason's apprenticeship and then, as a young mason, went to Elberfeld (now Wuppertal-Elberfeld), an industrial town on the edge of the Ruhr area.There, on the 3rd of April 1866, he married Amalie Simon, from Harscheid as well, possibly a „sand pitch“ love, since Amalie was a granddaughter of the Müllers' neighbours, the Dax family (read more about Amalie's origin – paternally from the Simon family's „allodial manor“ in Hoff near Waldbröl - in the “Chronicle of the Simon family“, written by her brother Wilhelm Simon).

* There is no clear evidence about his name, yet, but we know that he was from a Jewish family and may well have been Aron Schüler, father of one of the greatest German poets of the 20th century, Else Lasker-Schüler.

Amalie Simon had followed Heinrich Müller to Elberfeld before their marriage, already, and had worked there as a house employee, at first After the wedding she gave birth to 10 surviving children (born between 1867 and 1884).