전주 전씨(全州 全氏) — A Jeon (全) seat named for Wansan, the old name of Jeonju, said to descend from Jeon Jip, who was enfeoffed as Lord of Wansan for defeating the Red Turban rebels under King Gongmin of Goryeo.
A Jeon (全) seat named for Wansan, the old name of Jeonju, said to descend from Jeon Jip, who was enfeoffed as Lord of Wansan for defeating the Red Turban rebels under King Gongmin of Goryeo. In the 2015 Census the 전주 전씨 clan numbered about 26,639 people, one of Korea's major surnames and clans. Even among people surnamed 전, a different clan seat (bon-gwan, 전주) means a different lineage. New to these terms? See the bon-gwan, pa & hangnyeol guide.
Talgye-gong-pa, Chalbang-gong-pa
The Talgye-gong branch takes as its founder Jeon Chi-won (全致遠, 1527-1596), styled Sa-ui and pen-named Talgye. A disciple of Yi Hui-an and Jo Sik, he is said to have raised a righteous army with Yi Dae-gi in the Imjin War and fought alongside Gwak Jae-u, Kim Myeon and Jeong In-hong. He was posthumously made Minister of Personnel and is enshrined at Yeongok and Cheonggye seowon.
His son Jeon U and his cousin's son Jeon Je are introduced in this line, and Chun Doo-hwan is said to descend from Jeon Je. Some descendants moved from Hapcheon to Daegaya-eup, Goryeong.
Founders and lineages are recorded differently across clan records; please confirm in your own jokbo.
The Chalbang-gong branch is presented as linked to Jeon Tak (全濯, styled Si-hyeong), who served as Cheongam chalbang (postal inspector). The source does not state the founder explicitly, so it is not certain that Jeon Tak is the branch founder. His 6th-generation descendant Hong-ryeol is said to have moved from Sancheong to Deokgok-myeon, Goryeong around 1750, and descendants live mainly around Yeonjo-ri in Daegaya-eup.
Founders and lineages are recorded differently across clan records; please confirm in your own jokbo.
Branch divisions vary by lineage and jokbo; confirm your own branch in your family's records.
Jeon Jip(founder), Jeon Chi-won(Imjin War righteous-army leader), Jeon Je(righteous-army fighter), Chun Doo-hwan(11th and 12th President)
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The Jeonju Jeon clan (全州 全氏) is also called the Wansan Jeon (完山 全氏); Wansan is the old name of Jeonju, so both names denote the same seat. The founder is Jeon Jip (全潗), said to have defeated the Red Turban rebels as a jungnangjang in 1361 (10th year of King Gongmin), been made a Chuchung Jeongnan meritorious subject, and been enfeoffed as Lord (or Earl) of Wansan; his posthumous name is given as Chungjeong. The progenitor of the whole Jeon (全) surname is said to be Jeon Seop (全聶), a Baekje meritorious subject under King Onjo who was enfeoffed as Lord of Hwanseong, from whom the surname divided into 18 seats. Sources differ on whether Jeon Jip was the 28th, 29th or 30th generation from Jeon Seop, and some count him as the 15th-generation descendant of Jeon I-gap. These are traditions, and Namuwiki itself notes the content may be unverified.
The 2015 census counts 24,886 Jeonju Jeon and 1,753 Wansan Jeon separately, totalling 26,639 (the combined figure is shown on this page); they appear to be the same seat recorded under two names. Wikipedia lists clan villages including Usan-ri in Gwangyang (South Jeolla), Hapcheon (South Gyeongsang), Geumchon-ri in Yongsan-myeon of Daedong (South Pyongan), Sangil-ri of Deogan-myeon in Bakcheon (North Pyongan) and Hwangcheon-ri in Goksan (Hwanghae). Jeon Ha-min (全夏民) is recorded as the settler who put down roots in Hapcheon, and Hasin-ri in Ssangchaek-myeon and Naecheon-ri in Yulgok-myeon are cited as typical villages.
Early ancestors of the wider Jeon lineage include the brothers Jeon I-gap (全以甲) and Jeon Ui-gap (全義甲), founding merit subjects of Goryeo (16th generation from the progenitor), who are cited as common ancestors of several Jeon seats. Jeon Jip's son Jeon Ji-gyeong (全之慶) passed the jinsa exam and served as an inspector in the Office of the Inspector-General, and his grandson Jeon Sa-gyeong is said to have been Minister of Rites and recorded in a Gyeongju Yi genealogy as a son-in-law of Yi Won-ik.
Records of Joseon examinations list about 31 successful candidates, including one civil-exam graduate (Jeon Yun-dam, top class in 1822), though counts vary between sources. During the Imjin War Jeon Chi-won and his cousin's son Jeon Je served in righteous armies.
The branches confirmed in public sources are the Talgye-gong and Chalbang-gong lines; some accounts say the Wansan Jeon split off from the Jeongseon Jeon. Other branches could not be verified, so please confirm yours in your own jokbo.
They include Jeon Jip (founder), Jeon Chi-won (Imjin War righteous-army leader and founder of the Talgye-gong branch), Jeon Je (military-exam graduate and fighter) and Chun Doo-hwan, the 11th and 12th President. He is described as the 22nd-generation descendant of Jeon Jip and the 13th of Jeon Je, and was born in Naecheon-ri, Yulgok-myeon, Hapcheon.
Gyeongangjae and a memorial stele stand in Hasin-ri, Ssangchaek-myeon, Hapcheon, and Jeon Chi-won and his descendants are said to be enshrined at Dogye, Yeongok and Cheonggye seowon. Clan sites centre on Hapcheon and Goryeong.
No official clan-association website or contact could be confirmed in this research, and generation-name (hangnyeol) rules were not found in public sources; follow your own jokbo. Namuwiki reports that the Wansan Jeon association has said it has only the seat in common with Chun Doo-hwan.
The Jeonju Jeon surname is written 全, unlike the Damyang Jeon and others that use 田; they are distinct lineages.
Sources: Namuwiki, Wikipedia and other public materials. Details of branches and lineages may differ depending on the clan association and genealogy.
The 전주 전씨 clan association can be found in the Korean E-Jokbo Library clan-association directory.
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