Genealogy & Family Search · Source Interpretation · Published on 2026-10-02

Clues for Consulting Volume 3 of the Yuqingtang Jiaoshi Shao Clan Genealogy

Existing catalog information indicates that the Yuqingtang Jiaoshi Shao Clan Genealogy comprises five volumes; the available material is Volume 3, and the page indicates approximately 110 pages. This genealogy may serve as a source for understanding the branches, generational naming sequence, and migration clues of the Jiaoshi Shao clan, but the specific lineage still needs to be verified against the original text within the genealogy.

Existing catalog information identifies the Yuqingtang Jiaoshi Shao Clan Genealogy as a five-volume work; the available material belongs to Volume 3, which is indicated as containing approximately 110 pages. The “Yuqingtang” in the title should be understood as a clue to the ancestral hall name used by the family recorded in the genealogy, while “Jiaoshi” may relate to the branch responsible for its compilation, a place of residence, or a local designation. Based on the ancestral hall name, place name, and surname alone, it is not yet possible to determine directly that a particular Shao family has a confirmed clan relationship with the branch recorded in the genealogy.

From the perspective of genealogical research, the value of a single volume generally lies not only in locating the name of a particular ancestor, but also in examining the genealogy’s structure, the continuity of its lineage, records of generational naming sequences, place-of-residence information, and the older materials used in its compilation. Whether Volume 3 includes a specific family branch, a particular generation, or a branch formed after migration must be verified page by page against sections such as the preface, notes on compilation conventions, lineage charts, biographical records, and appendices. If the catalog includes information about ancestral halls, burials, marriages, official careers, or donations toward repairs, it should also be cross-checked against the main text to avoid mistaking summaries added by later descendants for early original records.

No clear date of compilation, name of the first migrating ancestor, place of original origin, or complete generational naming sequence has been found so far. It is therefore not advisable to infer from this material the origins of the Jiaoshi Shao clan, its migration routes, or the degree of kinship among its branches. Even when different regions use the same ancestral hall name, “Yuqingtang,” they may belong to different lineages; likewise, Shao families sharing the same surname cannot be identified as members of the same clan solely on the basis of an ancestral hall name or place of residence. For ancient ancestors, lineage connections, and migration dates mentioned in the genealogy, priority should be given to verifying the original wording, prefaces and postscripts, seals, and compiler’s notes on the genealogy pages.

When conducting family-root research, begin by recording the ancestral residence, ancestral hall name, ancestors’ formal names, birth-order and generational characters, tombstone information, and oral recollections preserved by the family, then compare them item by item with the people, places, and generations in online genealogies. Family memoirs are suitable for preserving firsthand experiences and memories of migration in modern and contemporary times; local gazetteers can be used to verify changes in place names, administrative divisions, local notable figures, and village history; and surname-related materials can help explain the distribution of the Shao surname and its associated cultural background. A judgment about the affiliation of a particular branch is more reliable only when multiple types of material form a mutually supporting chain of evidence concerning names, dates, places, and kinship relationships.

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