Genealogy & Kinship · Source Interpretation · Published on 2026-10-07

Migration and Genealogical Continuation of the Chai Family of Xian County Through a Genealogical Preface

A genealogy preface dated 2022 records the process by which the Chai family of Xian County revised its genealogy, traced its ancestral home to Nanpi, and contacted fellow clan members. These accounts demonstrate the connections among the preservation of genealogies, village migration, and family memories, while also indicating that lineage identification still requires cross-checking multiple types of material.

A genealogical preface dated July 9, 2022, recounts the origins, process, and results of the Chai family of Xian County’s revision of its family genealogy. The preface states that the original genealogy was scattered or lost during wartime and that some ancestral graves were also damaged. As the number of elders familiar with the family’s past gradually declined, those revising the genealogy were concerned that accounts passed down by the ancestors and clues about the branches might not continue. They therefore organized clan members to visit relevant locations, collect information, and compile and cross-check the related materials, ultimately producing a new genealogical draft.

According to the preface, this branch of the Chai family identifies Nanpi as its ancestral home, and its ancestor Chai Junjie is said to have moved to Shangyuanzi Village in Huaizhen, Xian County, around the Kangxi period of the Qing dynasty. Later, during the generation of Chai Zenghui, some clan members moved to Xinan Village, where the family gradually expanded. The preface does not provide a complete genealogy, but it mentions that the relevant branch continued for several generations and summarizes the family’s development as passing down the tradition of learning and scholarship and gradually increasing in population. These details were compiled by those revising the genealogy on the basis of clan memories and genealogical materials; the specific dates, relationships among individuals, and sequence of migrations should still be checked item by item.

In an effort to trace their ancestral origins, those revising the genealogy traveled twice to Chai Jiazhuang in Nanpi, where they discussed branch relationships with local fellow clan members and consulted an old Qing-dynasty genealogy. The preface states that the old genealogy does contain a record of Chai Junjie and places him in the corresponding generation of the second branch of the senior line of the Nanpi Chai family. This type of cross-regional genealogy research and mutual verification among clan members is a common way of tracing roots in privately compiled genealogies. However, sharing a surname does not necessarily mean sharing a common ancestry, and a correspondence between personal names in one genealogy must also be assessed comprehensively alongside generation names, places of residence, marital relationships, burial information, chronological clues, local gazetteers, and other materials.

This revision of the genealogy also received assistance from fellow clan members in Bimeng, Tulou, and other places in Huanghua, and the relevant personnel arranged the materials according to the Ouyang-style genealogical format. The preface incorporates the Chai family of Xian County into the comprehensive genealogy of the Nanpi Chai family and regards this as further confirmation of the branch relationship. At the same time, surname-related materials contain the hall name “Pingyang Hall,” while the preface itself bears the designation “Furun Hall.” Hall names may serve functions related to regional origin, commemoration, or branch identification in different branches and genealogical editions, and a common hall name alone cannot be used to infer a common ancestor directly.

From the perspective of organizing materials, the case of the Chai family of Xian County shows that online genealogies can be used to compare publicly available fragments of lineage records, family memoirs can help preserve memories of migrations, burial grounds, and villages, and local gazetteers can provide background on administrative changes, village establishment, and the activities of historical figures. Further research could focus on Nanpi, Xian County, and the relevant villages, seeking out different versions of genealogies, inscriptions, epitaphs, village gazetteers, and household registration materials, while recording variant readings and points that cannot be confirmed. Only after multiple types of evidence have been mutually corroborated can the ancestral origins, migration routes, and genealogical scope of this branch of the Chai family be described with greater confidence.

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