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

	This article describes a collection of historical records available at FamilySearch.org.
Access the records: Korea, Civil Service Examinations and Records of Officials and Employees, 1392-1910 . CID2316009 {{{CID2}}} {{{CID3}}} {{{CID4}}} {{{CID5}}} {{{CID6}}} {{{CID7}}} {{{CID8}}} {{{CID9}}}

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. For translation help, see the section titled For Help Reading These Records.

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.

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.

You can browse through images in this collection using the waypoints on the Collection Browse Page for Korea, Civil Service Examinations and Records of Officials and Employees, 1392-1910.

Record Content

• Compiled Biographies, Genealogies and Histories Examples
• Korea Civil Service Examinations and Records of Officials and Employees, 1392-1900 DGS 005115016 19.jpg

  Example 1

• Korea Civil Service Examinations and Records of Officials and Employees, 1392-1900 DGS 005241194 84.jpg

  Example 2

• Korea Civil Service Examinations and Records of Officials and Employees, 1392-1900 DGS 005241200 146.jpg

  Example 3

Civil service examinations may contain the following information:

• Name of Employee
• Date and Place of Birth
• Names of Parents
• Name of Spouse
• Residence

How to Use the Record

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 "Province (도, 시)" category
⇒ Select the "City or County (시,군)" category
⇒ Select the "Town or Village (동 or 면)"' category
⇒ Select the "Title (제명) 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 and Chinese. 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
• Chinese Research Helps

Tips to Keep in Mind

• Use the birth date to calculate an approximate marriage 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.
• Use the residence to search for other records in the area.
• Titles may be clues to property ownership, occupations, rank, or status within the community.

Don't overlook FS Library Place South Korea, {{{level2}}} items or FS Library Keyword South Korea, {{{level2}}} items in the FamilySearch Library Catalog. For other libraries (local and national) or to gain access to items of interest, see South Korea Archives and Libraries.

Related Websites

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

Related Wiki Articles

• South Korean Family History and Genealogy
• South Korean History
• South Korea
• 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

Citations for This Collection

When you copy information from a record, you should list where you found the information (often called citing your sources). This will help people find the record again and evaluate the reliability of the source. It is also good to keep track of records where you did not find information, including the names of the people you looked for in the records. Citations are available for the collection as a whole and each record or image individually.

Collection Citation:

Collection Citation: The citation for this collection can be found on the Collection Details Page in the section Cite This Collection.

Image Citation:
This template has been deprecated and is no longer used.

When looking at an image, the citation is found on the Information tab at the bottom left of the screen. You can browse through images in this collection by visiting the browse page for Korea, Civil Service Examinations and Records of Officials and Employees, 1392-1910.

DGS stands for Digital Genealogical Society also known as an Image Group Number. Each set of digital images is assigned a DGS number for identification purposes.