FINDING CLAN NAMES:
JokBo often list the clan names (clan origin + surname) for spouses included in the record. This is great, because you can use that to research the spouse’s genealogy. Sometimes it can be a time-consuming task to enter and search for the HanJa versions of the clan names. Hopefully this guide can simplify and speed up that process.
It would be a lot of work to draw or search for each complex HanJa character in a clan name. An easier way is to search for the clan name on my website at http://koreangenealogy.org/book/online-addendum/surnames-clans/ .
1) First find the HanJa for Mr/Mrs./Family/Clan 씨 which is 氏. That will let you know that the preceding 3 (occasionally more) characters are the clan origin and surname.
2) The surname should be the character (occasionally 2 characters) before 氏. Find the surname here in my list of Korean surnames: http://koreangenealogy.org/book/names/family-names/ . Copy the HanJa version of it.
3) Search for the surname in my list of clans here: http://koreangenealogy.org/book/online-addendum/surnames-clans/ . When you find it, search for the full clan name (origin + surname + 氏). When you find it, copy and paste the HanGul and HanJa versions of it into your records.
4) Search for the clan name online.
4a) Go to the Korean collection of JokBo records at familysearch and find the surname and clan origin to see a list of JokBo records. It will organize the origins by Korean province. Just try all the provinces if you don’t know where the origin town is. https://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/1398522 . The records aren’t indexed, but you can search through scanned pages to find your ancestor.
4b) Search for the clan name to find an official family website or websites about the family. Some family websites include an online and up-to-date version of their “Internet JokBo”, which is a great time saver because it is indexed so that you can search for a specific ancestor within the JokBo record. Knowing the branch within the clan and/or the person’s parent’s name will help narrow the search.
4c) Search for the clan name and the word JokBo (족보) to narrow down your results. Google works well, and sometimes using a Korean search engine can find additional results.