Yuan Clan

Overview

The Yuan family is listed in Volume 80 of the *Comprehensive Genealogy of the Manchu Clans of the Eight Banners*, under the section on Manchu banners and the Nikan surnames of Fushun. Two branches are recorded: Yuan Liangshi and Yuan Fu'an. Yuan Liangshi was a bondservant under the Plain Red Banner, residing in Fushun; his year of submission is unknown. His son, Dehe, served as a Qiduwei; his sons, Erge and Sige, both served as guard captains; his grandson, Yuan Wenbin, served as a scribe; and his great-grandson, Yuan Shengyuan, held an eighth-rank official position when the genealogy was compiled.

The other branch of Yuan Fu'an belonged to the Plain Blue Banner, residing in Shenyang; their year of submission is also unknown. His great-grandson, Yuan Zigui, served as a guard captain. The two branches differ in banner affiliation, administrative category, and ancestral home. The original text does not indicate a common ancestor between these two branches, making it impossible to connect them into a single direct lineage.

Both cavalry captains and guard captains were junior officers, but served in the cavalry and guard units respectively, involving troop leadership, training, and different guard duties. The term "bithesi" is a transliteration of the Manchu word, and the scribes were responsible for official documents, copying, and translation. The titles "Baoyi Guanling" and "Baoyi Qigu" reflect specific administrative positions, while Yuan Shengyuan's eighth rank only indicates his official rank. the original printed text of names, terms of office, and the migration details of the two branches are pending verification; the positions held by descendants are not attributed to their ancestors.