Albu Clan

Overview

The Albu clan is a Manchu surname recorded in Volume 60 of the *Comprehensive Genealogy of the Manchu Clans of the Eight Banners*, an official compilation from the Qianlong reign. They resided in Ula. During the early Qing dynasty, Mongoldo of the Plain White Banner surrendered to the Qing. His fourth-generation descendant, Gunqi, served as a military officer, and his fifth-generation descendant, Zhang Baozhu, served as a scribe. The records separately document those who surrendered earlier and those who held official positions later; therefore, neither position can be attributed to Mongoldo himself.

The military officer was a low-level military post within the military system, managing his assigned troops and participating in guard duty and military campaigns. The scribe (bi tie shi) is a transliteration of the Manchu word "bithesi," responsible for drafting, translation, and official documents. The work of these two generations of descendants, belonging to military guard and administrative clerical roles respectively, cannot be categorized as the same position, and there is no evidence that they inherited each other's positions.

Ula is a historical geographical name for Northeast China; its scope and usage changed over time. The genealogy's record of "residing in Ula" cannot be directly equated to a specific address in modern Ula Street. The Plain White Banner describes the Eight Banners system, while Albu is categorized by clan. The appearance of other Chinese characters in the name does not change this original classification. The Manchu spelling of the surname, the exact year of Mongoldo's submission, the missing middle generation, and the yamen where the scribe served still need to be verified by checking the archives.