Yu Clan

Overview

The Yu surname appears in Volume 77 of the *Comprehensive Genealogy of the Manchu Clans of the Eight Banners*, under the section on Nikan surnames within the Manchu Banners. Yu Yaolong was a bondservant of the Bordered Yellow Banner, residing in Shenyang, and served as a prefect. His sons, Yu Hui, served as an assistant minister; Yu Rong as a prefect; and Yu De as a cavalry officer. His grandsons included Blue-Lanyard Guards, cavalry officers, and scribes. His great-grandson, Yu Qing, served as a third-class guard when the genealogy was being compiled.

Another branch of Yu Shichen was a bondservant of the Plain Yellow Banner, residing in Liaoyang. His son, Yu Longmen, served as the Grain Commissioner of Hubei, and his great-grandson, Yu Changzong, served as the Circuit Intendant of Wenzhou and Chuzhou in Zhejiang. Another branch, the Gahana branch, belonged to the Bordered Yellow Banner and resided in Ningguta, with descendants serving as stable masters and scribes. The Yu Jin branch belonged to the Plain White Banner and resided in Liaoyang; his son, Yu Neng, served as a pastoral chief.

Prefects and prefects managed the administration of their respective prefectures and states, while circuit intendants were responsible for specific areas or specialized affairs. Grain Commissioners were associated with grain affairs, and the name Wenzhou and Chuzhou Circuit Intendant included information about their territorial jurisdiction. The stable master and pastoral master were associated with horse husbandry and management. The scribe (bi tie shi) corresponded to the Manchu word bithesi and mainly handled document and translation matters. The ancestral home, banner affiliation, and postings of each branch should be described separately. Unknown years of submission, terms of office, and common kinship need to be verified.