Elvis Presley

Presley in 1970, by Ollie Atkins, chief White House photographer

Birth Name: Elvis Aron Presley

Date of Birth: January 8, 1935

Place of Birth: Tupelo, Mississippi, U.S.

Date of Death: August 16, 1977

Place of Death: Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.

Ethnicity: English, Scottish, along with some German and French, remote Dutch and Danish, possibly other

Elvis Presley was an American singer, musician, and actor. He was known as the “King of Rock and Roll.”

Elvis was the son of Gladys Love (Smith) and Vernon Elvis Presley. With his former wife, actress and businessperson Priscilla Presley, he was the father of singer and songwriter Lisa Marie Presley, and the grandfather of model/actress Riley Keough. Born with the middle name Aron, he later began using the spelling Aaron.

Much of Elvis’s ancestry was English. He also had Scottish, some German and French, and remote Dutch and Danish, ancestry, the latter two from ancestors born in the 1500s. Genealogical research usually indicates that Elvis was descended from a man named Andreas “Andrew” Preslar (later Presley), who was born, c. 1701, in Germany, the son of Valentine Preslar and Anna Christian Framse. Various reports that Elvis’s Presley line originates in Ireland and/or Scotland appear to be incorrect (see here and here).

Elvis’s paternal grandfather was named Jesse/Jessie Dunnan McClowell Presley (the son of an unknown father, possibly John Wallace, and of Martha Rosella Presley). Jessie was born in Mississippi. Martha was the daughter of Dunnan/Dunnin Presley, Jr. and Martha Jane Wesson.

Elvis’s paternal grandmother was Minnie Mae Hood (the daughter of William H. Hood and Mary L. Warren). Minnie was born in Mississippi. William was the son of Joshua Hood and Margaret Johnson. Mary L. was the daughter of William D. Warren and Minerva J.

Elvis’s maternal grandfather was Robert Lee Smith (the son of Mileage/Miledge Obediah “Obe” Smith and Ann Mansell/Mansel). Robert was born in Mississippi. Ann was the daughter of John Mansell and Elizabeth “Betsy” Gilmore.

Elvis’s maternal grandmother was Octavia Lavenia “Dollie” Mansell (the daughter of A. White Mansell and Martha Tackett). Octavia was born in Mississippi. Elvis’s grandparents Robert and Octavia were first cousins. A. White Mansell was the son of John Mansell and Elizabeth “Betsy” Gilmore. Martha was the daughter of Abner Tackett.

Elvis’s ancestor, Morning Dove White, who was his maternal great-great-great-grandmother twice over, is said to have been a Cherokee Native American woman. The story of Morning’s marriage to a caucasian man, William Mansell, Elvis’s great-great-great-grandfather, is known among family researchers. However, it is not clear if any documentary evidence has been produced that Morning Dove White was of Native American ancestry. At least one census entry for Morning Dove White’s son, John Mansell, describes him as “White.” Several other census listings of Morning’s other children list them as “White” as well. Research has shown that it is unlikely that Morning Dove White was a Cherokee, although it is possible that she had ancestry from another tribe. Background information on this can be found here.

There is a claim that Elvis’s matrilineal great-great-grandmother, said to have been named Nancy J. Burdine, was Jewish. It is possible that Elvis and his family believed this, as well. However, research has shown this claim of Jewish ancestry to be highly unlikely, and that Elvis’s matrilineal great-great-grandmother was almost certainly a different woman, Celia Anne/Ann Butler. It is not clear if Nancy Burdine actually existed, much less was Jewish and/or an ancestor of Elvis. Elvis’s great-great-grandfather, Abner Tackett, was not Jewish. Some background information on this can be found here (see “24. Blue Christmas”) and here (from Jim W. Tackitt, of the Tackett Family Association).

Some have also stated that Elvis had Romani ancestry. It is not clear if this claim has ever been verified/documented, either.

Elvis was a seventh cousin, once removed, of actress Britt Robertson. Elvis’s paternal six times great-grandparents, Andreas “Andrew” Preslar and Antje “Ann” Wells, were also the seven times great-grandparents of Britt Robertson.

Sources: Genealogies of Elvis Presley – http://www.geni.com
http://famouskin.com
http://www.wikitree.com
http://www.findagrave.com

Discussion of Elvis’s possible Native American ancestry – https://www.wikitree.com

Elvis’s maternal great-great-grandfather, John Mansell, on the 1850 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org

Marriage record of Elvis’s maternal great-grandparents, A. White Mansell and Martha Tackett – https://www.familysearch.org

Genealogy of Elvis’s maternal great-grandmother, Martha Tackett – http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com

Death record of Elvis’s maternal great-great-uncle (great-grandmother’s brother), Sidney Tackett – https://www.findagrave.com
Death record of Elvis’s maternal great-great-uncle (great-grandmother’s brother), Jerome L. Tackett – https://www.findagrave.com

Elvis’s maternal great-great-grandfather, Abner Tackett, on the 1870 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org

ethnic

Curious about ethnicity

193 Responses

  1. Check7t says:

    He used to be good looking before he got fat and became a drug addict:

    http://images.fineartamerica.com/images-medium-large/elvis-presley-ca-1950s-everett.jpg

  2. shobohunter says:

    he looks old in this picture..

  3. andrew says:

    those family trees are uncomplete

  4. andrew says:

    Native ancestry is NEVER documented..

    • follers says:

      It can be documented, like with Colton Haynes, and, very distantly, Gina Carano (if we believe Carano’s family tree).

      In the case of Elvis Presley, it is likely that his ancestor (twice over) was a Native American woman. However, the claims that she was a Cherokee are almost certainly false.

      • andrew says:

        so she was from another tribe

      • leslie2 says:

        Thank follers for always writting and dismissing theses fake Natives and low blood quantum-never will be Natives.
        You are a serious blessing. I don’t consider Johnny and any others with such low percentage or no-recent ancestry to be Native, however, this does prove my point of the Native ancestry being documented.

    • leslie2 says:

      What are you smoking?

      Metis (French Canadian fur traders, and Native women in Red River , Manitoba Canada)

      Half breed (born to any Native man or women and a white person/black person)

      Reserve, census, rolls, treaty signings, Residential schools, etc

      Native ancestry is one of the EASIEST to prove.
      We are well documented. Don’t delude yourselves and anyone else trying to cover their ass for not being to prove their ancestry.

      True Natives can track their ancestry easily.
      It’s the wannabes, the family myths, and Cherokee princesses who have issue proving their tribes, origins, and Native ancestry.

      Anyone who complains about the need to track one’s bloodlines to prove their ancestry of being Native or blood quantum, usually never had Native roots or are 99% white or black, like most of the celebrities in hollywood, or making up bogus stories or even STEALING other peoples genealogy to prove or change their own.

      I’m so sick of the Cherokee 1/8-1/200th celebrities or just flat out lying about their ancestry. You will never be Native, and we can easily track and know who the fakes are.

      Do yourself a favour to anyone reading this, IF YOU CANNOT FIND ANY PROOF OF YOUR ANCESTORS OR YOUR FAMILY BEING NATIVE ON ANY DOCUMENTS,ETC, THEY PROBABLY WEREN’T AND NEVER WERE NATIVE, AND IT WAS A FAMILY MYTH. SO STOP TRYING TO PASS THEM OFF AS BEING SO TO SOUND “EXOTIC”, AND STOP EMBARRASSING YOURSELVES

      • follers says:

        “IF YOU CANNOT FIND ANY PROOF OF YOUR ANCESTORS OR YOUR FAMILY BEING NATIVE ON ANY DOCUMENTS”

        Yes. I have put in disclaimers about as many undocumented Native American claims as I could find.

      • Sully says:

        Also, don’t forgot how some of the White people who say they have Native American Ancestry, could just have a mixed-race Black ancestor that passed for Native American. I’ve read that Elvis was Melungeon (which were like Creole people, mixed with European, African, and Native American ancestry) yet to avoid discrimination, sometimes the Melungeon would just pass or be mistaken for Native American or a darker toned European, like Portuguese or something.

        http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melungeon
        http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/24/melungeon-dna-study-origin_n_1544489.html

        it’s really interesting and not hard to believe that this might be the case for some White Americans who claim Native American blood but can’t find the source. Perhaps they had a Black American or Mulatto ancestor who passed for Native American.

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