Dr John F. Mueller

The Müller family can be traced back to the village of Schlierstadt in the Frankonian part of Baden, a historically bitterly poor, if picturesque, part of Germany. The parish records begin in 1671 when the family is first mentioned as farmers and primitive hereditary justices of the peace.  It is possible that at some time thay were stewards of the nunnery of Selgenthal. The direct male line of the family would remain prominent in village life until the mid-19th century, one being the inspector to the Prince of Leiningen, another a members of the electoral college of the commons chamber of the grand duchy of Baden and a further one a signatory to the constitution of the duchy. Several generations were members of the 2nd regiment of dragoons of the Grand Duke of Baden.

The origin of these arms are obscure, assumption is the rule in the German speaking lands. The Müller quartering reflects the colours of the Margraves and later Grand Dukes of Baden. The lion passant guardant argent and the fess can be found in the arms of the Lords of Dürrn, who had been the squires of the hamlet. Pleasantly, the lion also represent the current generations as they married into English families. The ear of wheat in the crest is an obvious allusion to the origins of the surname Müller. These arms are quartered with those of the Wolperts. A document that comes from the 16th century according to the state archives in Karlsruhe is the oldest example of the arms. The simplicity leaves very little room for interpretation. The Wolperts, who were a wine-making family from the region of Bad Mergentheim, remained without male issue and the quartered arms hence commemorate the marriage of Franz Ludwig Müller to Helga Barbara Margareta Wolpert on 15 July 1947.

Dr Mueller was born in Freiburg in Breisgau in 1987. After studying at the University of Sussex and Fitzwilliam College, University of Cambridge, he wrote his doctoral dissertation under Regius Professor Sir Richard Evans. He is now a professional fundraiser for the University of Cambridge. In his free time he is a trustee of a London charity caring for the elderly and chair of a trust overseeing the refurbishment of a historically significant Cambridge church.

Arms by heraldic artists Carlos Navarro, Spain

Hatched Arms by heraldic artists Tudor-Radu Tiron, Romania