This study examined the pattern of change in the socio?economic status of baekjeongs living on the Seongju area in the 16<SUP>th</SUP> century by analyzing records on baekjeong families in Mukjaejilgi (『?齋日記』). For this study, we used detailed records on the pattern of change in the socio-economic status of baekjeong families through 2?3 generations, which Lee Mun-geon experienced for 23 years during his exile in Seongju, Gyeongsang-do. The results of this study are summarized as follows.
First, in the results of investigating baekjeong families and theirresidential places in the Seongju area during the mid 16<SUP>th</SUP> century, we found in Mukjaejilgi 10 families engaged in the job called baekjeong(白丁) or one derived from baekjeong and 35 people belonging to the families. These people, who were subject to civilianization, were still called baekjeong or were assigned to jobs such as pijang(皮匠), kalja(刀尺) and most of them lived around the Seongju Town.
Second, we analyzed the process that baekjeong people were assigned to a specific job, and their production activities. According to the results, baekjeongs scattered around provincial societies during the mid 16<SUP>th</SUP> century were being transferred to pyeonho baekjeong and then pyeonho jemin under the civilianization policy. That is, baekjeong families in the Seongju area included both those registered at Baekjeongail(白丁衙日) and those recruited for regular national duties. In addition, among baekjeongs who were recruited for national duties and then transferred to common people, some were promoted higher than their original job pijang to seowon(書員), gamgo(監考), etc. and became the ruling class of villages.
Third, we examined the pattern of change in the socio-economic status based on their use of name, marriage relation, social standing, job and economic power. According to the results, the socio-economic status of baekjeong families living in the Seongju area was changed in diverse directions. Compared to those in other areas of the country, baekjeong families in the Seongju area maintained a relatively higher socioeconomic status, but during the 23 years when Lee Mun-geon was exiled in Seongju, some families were promoted to ordinary jobs while some others were demoted to private slaves.
This study is meaningful in that it examined individual baekjeongs’ entire lives, which could not be explained due to the limitation of fragmentary records in registries, chronicles, collections of literary works, etc., and analyzed baekjeong families’ lifestyle in the process of civilianization.