Ercholu Clan

Overview

The Ercholu clan is a Manchu surname recorded in Volume 58 of the *Comprehensive Genealogy of Manchu Clans of the Eight Banners*, an official compilation of the Qianlong Emperor's reign. They originally resided in Suwan and Guarcha. One branch of the Balda clan of the Plain Yellow Banner originated in Suwan and submitted to the Qing dynasty at the beginning of the dynasty. Their great-grandsons, Kecher, served as defense commanders; Tuoerhai as an infantry officer; and Langtu as a captain. Their great-great-grandsons, Mahu and Martu, served as defense commanders; Changbao as a scribe; their fourth-generation descendants, Zhaozhu and Helin, served as defense commanders; and their fifth-generation descendant, Yichang'aye, served as defense commander.

Another branch of the Plain Yellow Banner, Yarjile, originally resided in Guarcha and submitted to the Qing dynasty during the Tiancong era. Their great-great-great-grandson, Jingyun, served as an infantry officer. Although both branches belonged to the same banner, their submission records differ: the "beginning of the dynasty" is a general period, while "Tiancong" refers to a specific reign title of Huang Taiji during the Later Jin period. Therefore, Yarjile cannot be simply changed to submit in the same year as Balda based on the order of their submissions.

Defense and zuoling were military and political officials of the Eight Banners, while Infantry School officers served the infantry organization; Bitieshi handled official documents such as copying and translation. The fact that Balda's descendants held the position of Defense for several generations is a matter of job distribution and cannot yet prove that the same position was automatically inherited from father to son. The specific ancestral home, connections between branches, and terms of office of Suwan and Guaercha still need to be verified.