Born in Einbeck, Muhlenberg immigrated to the Province of Pennsylvania in response to demands from Lutherans for missionary work in the colony.

[1] Muhlenberg and his wife Anna Maria had a large family, and they and their descendants had a significant impact on colonial life in North America as pastors, military officers, and politicians.

Muhlenberg was born on September 6, 1711, in Einbeck in the Electorate of Hanover, Germany, to Nicolaus Melchior Mühlenberg and Anna Maria Kleinschmid.

It reads, in Latin, translated into English: "Under the auspices of Christ, Henry Melchior Muhlenberg with his Council, J.N.Crosman, F.Marsteller, A.Heilman, J.Mueller, H.Haas, and H.Rebner, erected from the very foundation this building dedicated by the Society of the Augsburg Confession.

The name of the first church—Augustus—was adopted in honor of Herman Augustus Francke, founder of the Halle Institutions, whose son, Gotthilf, had persuaded Muhlenberg to accept the call of the three United Congregations in America.

Built in 1774 in Washington Township, New Jersey, the Old Stone Union Church housed a congregation largely organized by Muhlenberg.

The couple had eleven children and founded the Muhlenberg Family dynasty, generations of which were active in the U.S. military, politics, academia, and ministry.

Among his children, three sons entered the ministry and became prominent in other fields, a fourth, Peter, became a scientist and academic, a Major General in the Continental Army, and later was elected to the United States Congress; Frederick served as the first Speaker of the House in the U.S. Congress after his election to office; Henry, Jr. became pastor of the Zion Lutheran Church at Oldwick, New Jersey; and Henry Ernst was an early scientist and the first president of Franklin College, which is now Franklin & Marshall College.