The first work on genealogy in our country was the book "Genealogy Studies and Practice" by Mr. Da Lan Nguyen Duc Du (1919-2001), published in 1972. In addition, there was a Vietnamese genealogy research program at Hanoi National University and the French School of Far Eastern Studies, the University of Paris, and Alberta (Canada) after 1975.
The villagers wrote the history.
In the context of the relationship between clans and villages, I suddenly recalled a meticulously compiled work, considered a "historical record." It was a village history book compiled over many years by four individuals who considered themselves amateurs.
"Writing the history of a village takes a lifetime" - they quoted the famous saying of the late writer Nguyen Van Xuan to reconstruct the history of Quang Lang village, which is a long-standing 350-year-old place. These four individuals are Mr. Vo Dat, Mr. Dang Huu Ly, Mr. Vo Nhu Tong, and Mr. Dang Huu Duyen from Dien Nam Trung commune, Dien Ban town, who started nearly 15 years ago.
In fact, prior to this work, we had read the works of Phan Khoang and Li Tana on the process of establishing villages in northern Quang Nam . According to them, between the two historical periods mentioned in O Chau Can Luc (Duong Van An) and Phu Bien Tap Luc (Le Quy Don), in addition to 66 village names, Dien Ban also had 7 residential units called "giap" and two "trai".
Before 1776, Quang Lang did not exist as a village. Le Quy Don first clearly stated in Phu Bien Tap Luc that Quang Lang was a village along with Co Luu, An Luu, etc., belonging to Le Duong district, Thang Hoa prefecture.
During the 221 years from 1555 to 1776, the exact time of the formation of Quang Lang village is a story that village historians have had to trace back to family genealogies and even the "Quang Nam Village Chronicle" from 1944 to verify.
This is where the relationship between the clan and the village becomes apparent.
Clues from the family tree
The Võ clan's genealogy, preserved by the elder Võ Úy and documented in the Quảng Nam village chronicle, shows that: "Our clan's founder was Mr. Võ Như Oanh, the village's founding ancestor, who established the village during the reign of Emperor Hiếu Nghĩa, also known as Lord Nguyễn Phúc Trăn, which corresponds to the year 1667 in the Gregorian calendar."
At the same time, the Dang Huu family genealogy also indicated: "The ancestor Dang Huu Chieu, also known as Quang Minh, was from Thanh Hoa province, Nong Cong district. He moved south to establish a settlement during the reign of Lord Nguyen Phuc Tan, setting up the Quang Lang estate and military camp in 1665…".
Both documents rely on the genealogies of the two founding clans to trace the origins of Quang Lang village. Following these are other related clans among the 16 initial clans that settled and developed the new land. Thus, the village's genealogy begins to show its origins in the genealogies of the founding clans, providing a credible clue for each locality.
The genealogy of Quang Lang village continues to expand into geographical and topographical horizons, historical periods, transportation, climate, population, and economy, including folk literature. In short, Quang Lang originated from its geographical features as a village with many large mounds of land. It was here that folk songs of a time of poverty arose, such as: "Enough to eat and enough to spend thanks to potatoes and tubers / No debt all year round thanks to tubers and potatoes."
However, progressing from the genealogies of the founding clans to the establishment of "village names" is a difficult step to follow without reliable data. Because the documents from the Northern region that led to the establishment of village names such as Nhat Giap to Luc Giap near the Quang Lang area still contain many historical elements that need further investigation, but nevertheless, the above conclusion is a truly valuable research step!
"Memories of home"
In the 1980s, while visiting the northern part of Dien Ban, I met Mr. Ha Thao, a man deeply concerned about his hometown of Ngu Giap. Based on the research of Dr. Ha Phung – "When did the Ha family enter Quang Nam?" – Phong Ngu village (now Dien Thang Nam commune) published a book titled "Memories of Homeland," primarily using the village's genealogy compiled by Dr. Ha Phung.
Accordingly, from the four Northern region memorials that Mr. Phung collected, compared, and interpreted, it shows that the present-day Ngu Giap village is actually Phong Nien commune, signifying a year of abundant harvest. Mr. Phung continued to research the genealogies of the Ha Duc and Vo clans in Ngu Giap village and compared them with many genealogies of other clans in the region that had marital relationships.
According to the Northern Vietnam historical records from the time of Bui Ta Han's arrival in Quang Nam in 1545, Phong Nien village was established as a commune during the period from 1555 to 1560 - the time when Bui Ta Han was the governor of Quang Nam, before Nguyen Hoang took over as governor in 1570.
The "family tree" of Phong Nien village, later renamed Ngu Giap in Ha Phung's research, has received much support. Later, they continued to record the changes in the village's name.
Mr. Phung's remarkable achievement lies in his discovery of the geographical changes of Ngu Giap village, based on land registers from the Gia Long period onwards, including details about land, surrounding areas, and waterways during the Gia Long and Minh Mang eras. The existence of the place name Ngu Giap from the beginning of the 20th century to 1945 is further substantiated by the author through documents related to rice and land transactions, the name of the primary school during the French colonial period, and folk songs and ballads.
Ngũ Giáp, Giáp Năm, or Phong Ngũ are the names of a village whose names have changed over time. The Ngũ Giáp village genealogy, researched by Mr. Hà Phụng, continues the work of Mr. Hà Sáu, Mr. Hà Cung, Mr. Võ Xuân Quế, and others. Thanks to their efforts, they continue to preserve traces of clans, village temples, the histories of scholars, ancestral shrines, ancient temples, and folk literature.
Village genealogies are the work of many generations, involving collaboration and encouragement from various clans within each locality. These genealogies encompass historical, ethnological, psychological, educational, cultural, and demographic information, including marital relationships within a given area. Each village's genealogy helps people understand and access the developmental trends of their locality, fostering a love for their homeland and native land.
If every Vietnamese village had a genealogical record like the one described, it would provide us with invaluable historical evidence!
Source: https://baoquangnam.vn/pha-he-lang-chuyen-cua-doi-nguoi-3146905.html
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