林姓為臺灣第二大姓，林氏族人約占臺灣總人口的8％。林氏族人的入臺，始於明思宗崇禎末年。其後，自福建、廣東兩省移居臺灣的人數漸次增多，至清乾隆年間達到高峰，之後因臺灣人口已呈飽和乃漸減少。明清兩代，林氏族人在臺灣的分佈大致與臺灣開發的方向相似，呈現先南後北，先西後東的順序，而臺灣中部則一直是林氏族人最主要的發展區域。 本文的研究，係以臺中林氏宗廟相關衍派為中心，探討林氏宗族在臺灣中部的發展，以及林氏宗族對臺灣中部開發的貢獻。全文除前言與結論外，計分林氏入臺與臺灣中部林氏宗族衍派、鄭氏時期林氏的入墾、清代初期林氏的入墾、清代中後期林氏重要家族的形成四部份。 由於臺中林氏宗廟是臺灣中部成員最多、規模最大的林氏宗族組織，而其宗族成員在近代臺灣歷史發展亦佔有極為重要的地位，因此本文以該宗廟相關衍派為中心的討論，應具有相當程度的代表性。透過本文的研究，吾人不僅可以了解臺灣中部林氏宗族的發展，對其他宗族的入臺及其貢獻，亦可獲得一定程度的認識。

The Lin family is the second large family in Taiwan with approximately eight percent of Taiwan population. The Lins started their immigration to Taiwan in the late Chung Cheng (崇禎) of Ming Dynasty. After then, many people from Fu Kang (福建) and Kuan Tung (廣東) also moved to Taiwan and the immigration reached its high point in Chien Lung (乾隆) of Ching Dynasty. The distribution of Lins in Taiwan were similar to the cultivation of Taiwan history, first from southern to northern then western to eastern. However, the middle Taiwan was always the main area for Lins. The research is focus on the Lins' cultivation in middle Taiwan and their contribution to his area. Beside abstract and conclusion, this research includes the immigration of the Lins and the Lin family in middle Taiwan, the Lins' immigration and cultivation in Cheng (鄭) Period, the Lins cultivation in the early Ching Dynasty and the importance of Lin family in the middle Ching Dynasty. Since the Ancestral Temple of the Lin (林氏宗廟) of Taichung is the largest organization of the Lins in middle Taiwan which had important role of Taiwan development history, the study through Ancestral Temple of the Lin (林氏宗廟) should be a representable example of the Lins.