Rasmus Malling-Hansen was born in Hunseby, Maribo, in 1835, as the first son of the teacher Johan Frederik Hansen and his wife Juliane. Juliane was the daughter of the caretaker at Knuthenborg, named Matzen, and we don't know who was her mother. She never lived with her parents, but was brought up by Rasmus Malling, the teacher at Hunseby school, and his wife. Malling-Hansen was given the name Hans Rasmus Malling Johan Hansen, probably in memory of the mother's fosterfather, and it was first in 1883 that he started to use "Malling" as a part of his last name, Malling-Hansen. Originally "Malling" was a part of his first names.

Johan Frederik came to Hunseby school as an assistant teacher, and was married to Juliane in 1834. They soon got two more sons, Thomas Jens Jørgen Hansen in 1837 and Johan Frederik Oluf Emanuel Hansen in 1839. But as the father just had got work as a teacher in Havlykke in 1839, he died tragically of tyfus, and Juliane Hansen was left with three boys of 4, 2 and 1 years.

Like all boys of his age, Malling-Hansen was sent to the church to get his confirmation at the age of 15. It is said that the teaching of the priest, named Gude, made a great impact on the young Rasmus. And he clearly stated that he wanted to become a priest himself.

But the prospects of getting a higher education were not good for Malling-Hansen. The best he could hope for, was to learn a handcraft, and he was set into training to become a painter. And one of his grand daughters once told that he never forgot his skills as a painter. Once a painter had painted Malling-Hansen's door, but Malling-Hansen was not very pleased with the result, and he told the painter so - and got the reply that may be he could paint the door better himself. And so Malling-Hansen did! 

Whether was the priest who told the Count of Knuthenborg about the talented young man, we don't know, but one day Rasmus Malling-Hansen and his mother were told to come to the Count at his manour, and they were informed that the Count was willing to pay for his education, and so Rasmus was sent to the Jonstrup teachers training college, where he took his exam as a teacher in 1854, with very good results!

For the next year he worked partly as a private teacher in the homes of the Count and the priest Gude, and also worked as a teacher at Maglemer school.  He then started to study on his own, and did so for three years, before he, still with the financial support from the Count of Knuthenborg began the theological studies, in 1858.

But the studies only lasted for one year this time - in 1859 he was hired as a teacher at the Royal Institute for the deaf-mutes in Copenhagen - and here he met the daughter of the principal, Cathrine Georgia Heiberg - and they were engaged to be married. Malling-Hansen once again took up the studies in theology, after having resigned from his position in 1861 - but only for a short period this time too. In 1862 they were in need of a Danish teacher at the Institute for the deaf-mutes in Schlesvig, which at that time was a part of Denmark, and the job was offered to Malling-Hansen, who axepted, and in 1862 also was offered the position as the principal.

But the war between Germany and Denmark - which Germany won, soon drove him back to Copenhagen, and back to the Royal Institute, and in 1865, after having finished his studies, he finally found himself in the position that he was going to keep for the rest of his lifetime - as the successor of Søren Johan Heiberg - and in same year he married his beloved fiancé, Cathrine.

The year 1865 is the starting point of an extremely productive and happy period in Rasmus Malling-Hansen's life. To his beloved wife, Cathrine, who he called Cäthe, he is a faithful and loving husband, and already in 1866 she gives birth to their first child, Engelke. And in 1868, -69 and -70 comes number two, three and four, called Engelke, Emma and Zarah. Then there is a pause, before Johanne, Karen and Marie are born in 1873, -74, and -75. 

Malling-Hansen turns out to be a truly devoted and caring family father to his seven children. In the many private letters to his mother and brothers from this time, it strikes out how occupied Malling-Hansen is with the welfare of his children and his wife. He always tells about them and their development from small girls with their illnesses and worries, and about their activities and hobbies - until they become schoolgirls and can start to write letters of themselves. The letters also witnesses about the close relation between Malling-Hansen and his mother and his two brothers. They all lived close to each other in Skjelstrup, near their birthplace, where both the brothers worked as teachers.

But Malling-Hansen was not free of tragedy in his life. In 1876, while giving birth to a pair of twin girls, Cathrine tragically dies, and the babies too, and for Malling-Hansen who had a sensitive mind, this must have been a hard stroke. How he got through these years as a single father of seven young girls we don't know, but in 1880 he again meets a woman from his youth - the daughter of an upper class family in Copenhagen, Anna Steenstrup.

Anna and Rasmus are married in 1880, and from the letters that Malling-Hansen wrote in this periode, we can see that he is truly happy for his Anna, who turns out to be a warmhearted and understanding woman, and becomes a loving stepmother for the seven young daughters of Malling-Hansen.

Maybe Malling-Hansen drives himself too hard, and maybe he is too careless about his health, for already in 1881 he suffers from a severe illness, which for a long period keeps him away from his work. We don't know very much about this illness, but Malling-Hansen mentions it in some letters when he is recovered, and it's obvious that it has been a serious condition. But he and Anna get ten years of happy marriage together, even though Malling-Hansen's health is clearly not good. He suffers from a heart condition, which gives him a lot of pain, and clearly weakens his working abilities.

On his way home from his masonry lodge on a dark autumn night in 1890, a stroke ends his life, and his seven daughters, of whom the youngest is only 15 years old, become fatherless.  Anna lives seven more years, and dies of a desease only 57 years old - in 1897.