1847 Edition Preface 1

Pages 1.0008
Page 1.0009A

1847 Revision Preface 1 (1.0008 A and B and 1.0009A)

This is the first Edit of an English translation. Much work needs to be done yet.

All knowledgeable people in the world think that having a family tree is like having a history book in the country and a memorial book in the state and county. However, the creator of the genealogy has a difficult task. The inheritor of the genealogy has an even more difficult task. Ancestors created it, but the descendants later neglected it. Therefore, we are unable to continue and innovate what the creators did. The Ma family starting from Xiaokuan moving from Bianjing moving to Mingzhou (now Ningbo). After twenty-four generations, more than five hundred and eighty years, prosperous descendants, high-ranking officials have emerged from time to time all because their ancestors have accumulated profound merits. The genealogy is handed down from the fifth generation of Yunxiang’s eldest son, Dayou, and his younger brother, Daxian, who chose to live in Bright Creek Zhenjiang Bridge, and Xian’s descendant Ming Zhonggong lived in Qingshiqiao. Yunqian lived in Mahu, all of which are not mentioned in the records.

Da Yougong’s fourth son, Shudu, was the sixth generation.  They were divided into two villages, the Front Ma and  Back Ma. Guzhen, the offspring of Yungong, lived in Dongxiang County, and the offspring of Yungong lived in Jianjie. And, the offspring of Wronggong lives in Cixi.  Unfortunately, the continued editing of the genealogy has been interrupted. The Dazheng Gong originally lived in Maochuan, and they continued to edit the small genealogy of their own branch. The main Ma family has not edited it.

During the years, the descendants of Mr. Sun Binhu became a high official, endowed with a prosperous family and impassioned with great ambitions, collected information on the genealogy of each branch, edited the Ma family tree. After repeated deliberation, and careful consideration, determination, and a lot of hard work, their results are really great. It has been two hundred and twenty years after probably eighth or ninth generations; due to a prolonged period, the wooden slits are rotten, and the handwriting is difficult to read. There is no continuation.  During the Qianlong and Jiaqing reigns, the descendants of Sun Jingjian, Jing Yun, Jingyun, Shi Xiao, and Shi Yong worked hard to compile genealogies. They passed them on to their descendants, but they were only the personal development data of their respective branches. The descendants of Ma Qian once again followed the compiled information on gourd paintings and knowledgeable people. Please do not laugh; this sage and clever descendant hope that Yu Youqi will be the master of the Ma family genealogy, and everyone can be friends. In the late spring of Jiachen’s reign, Siren carefully checked and read the less clear handwritten records, corrected many suspected mistakes. Based on the principle of detail and truth, he made up for the previous shortcomings, whether it is the place of residence, time of birth, other names, time of death, and burial situation, corrections have been made to errors that have not changed before. After careful proofreading, The Ma genealogy has six volumes. If it is not for the generations who continue to make the genealogy of the predecessors, this genealogy cannot be made so complete. The place where our Ma family lives is a good place for great people and spirits. It must be thriving and rooted. There must be a lot of capable people and knowledgeable people. I hope to edit a genealogy every 20 years or edit a genealogy every 30 years so that continuous editing can make it easier for our future generations to compile a genealogy. At the end of Daoguang’s 27th year, Situ Yitang wrote carefully.

1.0008 to 0009A