Korea, Encyclopedias and Dictionaries - FamilySearch Historical Records

South Korea

What is in the Collection?
This is a collection of encyclopedias and dictionaries from Korea for the dates 1500-2015. The collection will be published as images become available and may help you with your genealogy. These records are written in Korean using Chinese hanja characters. For translation help, see the section For Help Reading these Records

What Can these Records Tell Me?
Encyclopedia and dictionary records may contain the following information:
 * Family name
 * Province
 * City or county
 * Year

How Do I Search the Collection?
To begin your search it is helpful to know: View images in this collection by visiting the Browse Page "Browse through images" on the initial collection page ⇒Select the appropriate "Province (도, 시), City or County (시,군)" ⇒Select the appropriate " Title (제명), Year (년) and Volume (권) and/or Page (페이지)" which takes you to the images Look at each image comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine if the image relates to them. You may need to look at several images and compare the information about the individuals listed in those images to your ancestors to make this determination. Keep in mind:
 * Your ancestor’s name.
 * Other identifying information such as residence, names of other family members and family relationships.
 * There may be more than one person in the records with the same name.
 * You may not be sure of your relative's first name.
 * Also your relative may have used different names or variations of their name throughout their life.

For Help Reading These Records
These records are in Korean, written using Chinese hanja characters. For help reading the records, see the following resources: General Information: Reading Hangul: (Korean letters) Reading Hanja: (Chinese characters)
 * South Korean Language and Languages
 * Korean Genealogy Guide online
 * Korean names
 * HanGul Letters
 * HanGul Syllables
 * FamilySearch Video Tutorials (for Korean speakers
 * Background on HanJa Characters
 * Translating Hanja and Hangul

I Found Who I was Looking for, What Now?
When you have located your ancestor’s record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. Download a copy of the record, or extract the genealogical information needed. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details. Add this new information to your records of each family. The information may also lead you to other records about your ancestors.

I Can't Find Who I'm Looking for, What Now?

 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.
 * Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name as your ancestor.
 * Continue to search the index and records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives.
 * If your ancestor used multiple names throughout their life, look for each of their names.
 * Titles may be clues to property ownership, occupations, rank, or status within the community.

Citations for This Collection
Citing your sources makes it easy for others to find and evaluate the records you used. When you copy information from a record, list where you found that information. Here you can find citations already created for the entire collection and for each individual record or image. Collection citation: Image citation: