雍正年間，清政府開始在聚族而居地區由官府舉充族長，作為保甲制的補充，也是地方治理宗族的制度。臺灣是漢人移民新建立的社會，宗族並不發達，尤其是原稱為噶瑪蘭的宜蘭，直到嘉慶年間漢人才大舉入墾，更沒有足夠時間發展宗族。但是，清代宜蘭卻由官府於各姓舉充族長。既無宗族，為何舉充族長？而官舉族長的功能為何？是本文所擬探討的問題，盼能豐富我們對清代地方治理及族正制的瞭解。
本研究有以下幾點發現：一、宜蘭雖是雜姓為主的社會，但漳州人占絕對多數，同姓意識突顯；二、宜蘭設治規劃時恰逢臺灣大規模漳泉械鬥後，政策上主張官舉族長以約束族人，宜蘭雖無聚居的宗族，但移民具同姓認同並推舉家長的習慣，官府乃加以利用，官舉族長遂成定制；三、宜蘭官舉族長的特色，為其約束對象是移民遷出地的同鄉同姓、不一定有血緣關係、非聚居的一群人，跨清代於大小姓普遍舉充，多由地主或商賈充任；四、官舉族長成為官府在地方治理上的幫手，協助約束具同姓認同的群體，理處這群人的內部事務；部分官舉族長強固了唐山祖組織，並積極參與地方公共事務，包括推動文治教化及地方信仰、為民請願等，扮演猶如士紳的角色。

The Qing government began to appoint patriarchs during the Yongzheng period in areas where patriarchal clans lived together, as a way to strengthen the Bao-jia system and govern the clans. Taiwan was a new settlement of Han immigrants, so the clans were not well developed. Notebly, in I-lan, where Han immigrants moved during the Jiaqing period, there was not enough time for them to propagate a clan. But, the present study found that the local government appointed many patriarchs for the different surnames in I-lan. The question arises: if there were no dominent clans, how and why were patriarchs appointed? What was the function of the government-appointed patriarchs? These are the questions which this study tries to answer, and which hopefully helps us to know more about the local governing system in the Qing Dynasty.
This research has produced following foundings: 1. I-lan was a society of mixed surnames, but the Zhang-zhou immigrants were the majority, which caused the immigrants to have a stronger sense of identity besides having the same surname; 2. On the eve of I-lan becoming part of the Qing Dynasty, the Taiwan local government had just approved the policy of appointing patriarchs. Although there were no clans that lived together in I-lan, the immigrants had surname identities and elected their patriarchs. The local officials utilized it, and the practice of government officials appointing patriarchs became a policy of I-lan. 3. The distinguishing feature of I-lan government-appointed patriarchs was there was no real clan for a patriarch to run. They contained a group of immigrants who had surname identity while they did not live together. The government appointed patriarchs universally for the different surnames, and did so through entire 19th century. Most of the appointed patriarchs were landlords or rich merchants. 4. The government-appointed patriarchs became helpers of local government in governing. They helped to control and to solve internal disputes among those people who had the surname identity, some patriarchs were actively involved in public affairs just as they were as gentry.