Louis (Ludwig) Müller, 1870s
Louis' daughter Helena Müller Melchers, wife of Theodore Melchers, and their
daughter Julia, 1880s.
Theodore Melchers was a grocer in Charleston, like his brother Alexander
Melchers. Another brother, Franz Melchers, ran the local German newspaper "Deutsche Zeitung".
Sisters Jenny and Agnes married prominent merchants in Charleston, Henry Bischoff and
Richard Issertel, respectively.
Louis (also known as Ludwig) Müller was born in 1819 in Hochspeyer, Germany, the son of Friedrich Müller and Elizabetha Lommel of Kriegsfeld. Louis, who had a childhood predilection for religion, received his doctor of divinity degree at the University of Utrecht in 1839 and emigrated to New York in July 1842 with his bride, the former Caroline Laurent of Zweibrücken.
After a six-year appointment at the St. John's Lutheran Church at Court and Schermerhorn Streets in Brooklyn NY, the Rev. Müller and his family relocated to Charleston, South Carolina in 1848.
Louis was a pastor at St. Matthews German Evangelical Church, where services were conducted entirely in German for the local German-speaking populace. He was to remain at its helm for fifty years.
Louis and Caroline Müller's children included Helena, Frederick, Louis, Charles, Margaret, William, Jennie, Adelina, Philip, and Mamie. William (known a W.A.C. Mueller, or "Wac") became a clergyman himself.
By all accounts Louis was not only pious but warm and generous, fond of children, and a much admired leader of the congregation. He was also instrumental in helping to establish the German-speaking community of Walhalla, 250 miles west of Charleston, where he also helped build a new congregation. In perusing the church records at St. Matthew's it becomes clear that Rev. Müller was supportive of his own congregation as well as others in need. In one entry Rev. Müller records the baptism of a one-day-old baby whose parents were Greek. They were not members of St. Matthew's but clearly Rev. Müller was determined to extend his blessing to the child, perhaps in her final moments of life.
Louis was an active leader of St. Matthews and his handwriting is a regular part of the church records until shortly before his death on April 10, 1898. In an obituary published on April 16, the Charleston News and Courier noted that among his many accomplishments, on one single day during an epidemic of 1858 Rev. Müller "attended nine funerals, made twenty-four visitations to the sick, and administered the Holy Communion five times".
Louis was buried at Bethany Cemetery in Charleston, his grave site resplendent with flowers. One modest display was wrapped with a ribbon reading "For Grandpa". His widow, Caroline, outlived Louis by twelve years and remained in Charleston with her older daughter Helene Melchers. Son W.A.C. Mueller (as he spelled it) succeeded his father as head of St. Matthew's Church.
The St. Matthews Archives of Charleston maintains church records for the period covering Louis' and his son William's ministry there, and volunteers are happy to help those doing research on the life and times of Louis Müller. Many thanks to Nancy Kruger and Mary Ivester for their help in locating relevant material. Thanks also to Phillip F. Thomas of Cartersville, Virginia for shairing his valuable collection of Müller documents and photos.