Mergen

Overview

Mergen appears in the Dujia clan entry of Volume 58 of the *Comprehensive Genealogy of the Manchu Clans of the Eight Banners*. The original text notes that he was a bondservant of the Plain White Banner, residing in Huifa, and categorized among those who surrendered to the Qing dynasty in the early period. Here, "Plain White Banner" refers to the banner affiliation, and "bondservant" refers to the corresponding official status; these are not interchangeable terms. The volume does not record Mergen's specific official position.

The genealogy primarily preserves records of his descendants: his grandson, Xindali, served as a zuoling (military officer); his great-grandson, Juehetuo, served as a treasurer; Shuose served as the head of the imperial kitchen when the genealogy was compiled; his great-great-grandson, Qidase, served as a Langzhong (official); and his fourth-generation descendants, Songling and Songtai, both served as scribes when the genealogy was compiled. The positions of treasurer and head of the imperial kitchen reflect different divisions of labor in treasury management and supplying the inner court, while Langzhong and scribes are different titles in clerical administration.

These individuals were not Mergen himself, and their positions could not be transferred across generations. The "Huifa area" is preserved as the ancestral home according to the original records, and no specific village will be deduced from the later area with the same name. This valuable place provides a clear original record for studying the distribution, banner affiliation, and lineage of the Qing Dynasty's bondservant families.