Korea Civil Service Examinations and Records of Officials and Employees - FamilySearch Historical Records

Title in the Language of the Record
공공기록 (간찰, 통문, 기타), 900-2012

Record Description
This collection will include records from Jeollabuk-do and Jeonju-si, South Korea. The records are in Korean and Chinese, dated from 1392 to 1900, and include Korean civil service examinations from the Joseon Dynasty, as well as records of officials and employees.

Local History
The Joseon Dynasty came to power in the late 1300’s, after the overthrow of the Goryeo Dynasty. The Korean kingdom experienced numerous conflicts through the mid 1600’s, but afterwards the Korean area experienced peace for about 200 years. In the latter part of the 1800’s, the Joseon Dynasty weakened due to increasing foreign influence, and the Korean area was annexed by Japan in 1910.

Record History
The civil service examinations under the Joseon dynasty were known as the gwageo. These difficult tests were central to most education during the Joseon dynasty and assessed the applicant’s knowledge of Chinese classics and, occasionally, technical skills. Passing the tests qualified individuals to enter into the higher governmental or aristocratic positions.

Record Content
Civil service examinations may contain the following information:
 * Name of Employee
 * Date and Place of Birth
 * Names of Parents
 * Name of Spouse
 * Residence

Search the Collection
To search by image: To search the collection you will need to follow this series of links: ⇒Select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page ⇒ Select the 'Family Name (성)' category ⇒ Select the ‘Country (국가)' category ⇒ Select the 'Province (도)' category ⇒ Select the 'City or County (시,군)' category ⇒ Select the 'Town or Village (동 or 면)' category ⇒ Select the 'Title (제명), Year (년) 1982 and Volume ( 권) and/or Page(페이지)' category which takes you to the images.

Search the collection by 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.

When searching: As you are searching it is helpful to know such information as your ancestor’s given name and surname, as well as some identifying information such as residence, age, and family relationships. Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name as your ancestor and that your ancestor may have used nicknames or different names at different times. Be sure to check the spelling of any names you research as there may be multiple spellings of the same name.

For Help Reading These Records
These records are in Korean. For help with reading these records see the following resources:
 * South Korean Language and Languages
 * Korean names
 * Korean Genealogy Guide online
 * English-Chinese Symbols Collection

Tips to Keep in Mind

 * Use the estimated age to calculate 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.
 * Check for variant spellings of the names.

Related Websites

 * Korean Genealogy
 * Korean Genealogical Table (website is in Korean)
 * Korean History and Political Geography
 * South Korea Maps

Related Wiki Articles

 * South Korea
 * South Korean History
 * South Korean Family History and Genealogy
 * Korea, Collection of Genealogies (FamilySearch Historical Records)

Advanced Korean Genealogical Sources

 * YouTube video: Mark Peterson on Korean Genealogy Books
 * YouTube video: Mark Peterson on Reading Korean Genealogy
 * YouTube video: Mark Peterson on the Structure of Korean Genealogy

Citing FamilySearch Historical Collections
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Keep track of records where you did not find information about your ancestor so you and others will not waste time looking through these records in the future.

Citation for This Collection
The following citation refers to the original source of the information published in FamilySearch.org Historical Record collections. Sources include the author, custodian, publisher, and archive for the original records.