Korea Collection of Genealogies - FamilySearch Historical Records

North Korea South Korea

What is in the Collection?
This collection will include records from 1200 to 2014.

These records include family biographies, genealogies, and histories.

Ancestors are based on the male family line. Children are raised to believe they can never repay their debt to their parents, hence the popularity of ancestor worship and the importance of genealogy records. They hold ancestral ceremonies for the previous three generations (parents, grandparents, and great grandparents) several times a year, particularly on Chusok and New Year's Day.

Genealogies and family histories are created because of the great cultural importance of family and lineage. Children are taught that the actions of one family member reflect on the rest of the family. Marriage also is thought of as a union of two families and a means to ensure the continuity of the husband's family line.

Reading These Records
The text of these records are in Korean and Chinese. For translation tools, see the section titled For Help Reading These Records.

What Can these Records Tell Me?
Genealogy records may contain the following information:


 * Family name
 * Town or village
 * Province
 * City or county
 * Country
 * Year

How Do I Search the Collection?
To begin your search, it would be helpful if you knew the following information:


 * Name of ancestor
 * Place of birth
 * Province

View The Images
View images in this collection by visiting the Browse Page.
 * 1) Select Family Name
 * 2) Select Country
 * 3) Select 'Province
 * 4) Select City or County
 * 5) Select Town or Village
 * 6) Select Title, Year, Volume/Page to view the images.

For Help Reading These Records
These records are in Korean. For help reading these records, see the following resource:


 * South Korean Language and Languages
 * Korean names
 * Korean Genealogy guide

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images.

What Do I Do Next?

 * Use the location to search for others records in that area.
 * Use the age to approximate a birth date.
 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.
 * Titles may be clues to property ownership, occupations, rank, or status within the community.

Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.

Collection Citation:

Image Citation: