Louise Skyles has been gathering genealogical records and working directly with Zhuo Bing Quan for almost four years now and it is amazing how much more we know about our ancestors at this point. Because of the royal lineage from which the Chock/Zhuo clan descends, the records have been carefully kept and well preserved. Despite the efforts to destroy them in the Cultural Revolution of the 1960s, heroic efforts by Zhuo Bing Quan and others reconstructed them and have rebuilt them to the point where we now have a nearly uninterrupted record spanning 105 generations from my generation, commencing with the Xuanyuan Huangdi– also called the Yellow Emperor 黃帝 and his wife Lei Zu 嫘祖. His birth date is the subject of much debate, but some put it at 2704 BC, others at 2711 BC, still others at 2717 BC.
Huangdi, illustration from Li-tai ku-jen hsiang-tsan (1498 edition); in the collection of the University of Hong Kong.
Courtesy of the University of Hong Kong
Many historians refer to him as the common ancestor of many of the Chinese people. Sima Qian, the Grand Historian, documented 25 sons of Huangdi. Of those sons, 14 were given their own surnames and went forth to begin the main clans that inhabited the Yellow River plains for thousands of years. This created the interrelated bloodlines of the Middle Kingdom — long before the states were united into one country called China.
Short History Lesson: About the Clan
Louise created this short overview of the history of our clan. It is filled with fascinating stories and pictures of some of the notable members of the clan who contributed greatly to the legacy we inherit as their descendants.
It ends with a direct-line pedigree list that traces the connection from me and my brother, Galen Chock, down through the 105 generations to the Yellow Emperor. I hope all of you who share the Chock lineage will enjoy this history as we do.
The Chock-Zhuo Clan of Guan Tang官塘卓氏
If you descend from Chock Chin of Hanalei, this pedigree list will be precisely the same for you until you get to the name of my father, George. You can edit the PDF and replace my parents and everyone after them with the name of your ancestors from Chock Chin through the intervening generations until you get to the youngest descendant in your family.
If you descend from another branch of Chocks from Guan Tang, we can probably help you find your place in the tree. Email me (ssalgy AT gmail.com) and let’s see what Louise can find in the records.