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. He was also a fourth cousin, twice removed, of professional football player Brock Purdy. Elvis’s paternal great-great-great-grandparents, Dunning “Dunnan” John Presley and Elizabeth, were also Brock’s paternal five times great-grandparents.

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

194 Responses

  1. RamboJohnJ says:

    Elvis was part Indian. And proud this page is a insult to him. Elvis would be insulted

  2. RamboJohnJ says:

    Not really… most blacks are about half white. Mexican s are not Indian s . And Elvis was part Indian I grew up in the ghetto unless you’re black I see more black people on a daily basis than you do in a life time.

    • italiano90 says:

      I’m convinced you and @RamboJohnJ are the same person. You guys both type the same manner and you both come across as miserable, unhinged, and useless to society. I also doubt any of you guys are of european descent. “Most blacks are about half white” how can you expect any of us to take you seriously when you spew stupid —- like this?

      • NOTREALLY says:

        @italiano90 This guy has huge problems that transcend any lack of knowledgeability, I sincerely hoped he’s get actual psycological help and he’d hix his clearly shattered mind but since he’s just a racist —-, I’m glad he’s miserable.
        And yes, that’s probably him on another account, I’m pretty sure he has several accounts in this website.

  3. follers says:

    For the record, and especially since Elvis was descended from Morning Dove White twice, can anyone find any documentary evidence listing any of his ancestors or relatives as Native American?

  4. RamboJohnJ says:

    NOTREALLY.mexicans are not the same as North American Indian s they maybe both native to America but there not the same. They are different from being separated for 3000 years there DNA mutated. I have by far more USA tribal Indian blood in me than any Mexican or South American does

    • danishcookie7 says:

      I’m not even American and even I know this is bull—-. Genetically speaking, the average Mexican has more indigenous DNA than the average white american. The Aztecs, Incas, Cherokee, Awakwa, Blackfoot etc may all be different tribes from one another but they are all Mongoloid. I know I cant take you seriously though if you think african americans are “mostly white.”

      • RamboJohnJ says:

        Most so called black people are half white if not more again Mexican s are not Indian s they are different

        • fuzzybear44 says:

          @RamboJohnJ

          Quote( Most so called black people are half white)

          I was staying out of this, but come on now
          I’d say the majority have Euro blood that’s true, but most are not half white. IDK where you got that from. It would be safe to say we have a broad range. Some have more than others

          • RamboJohnJ says:

            Most blacks are half white . The darker blacks are 75 percent black 25 percent White. In Africa you may find pure blacks but in the USA unless they came from Africa recently they all are roughy half white

        • A user says:

          What is your soruce that most american blacks ar whalf white. That’s absolutely not true.

          • RamboJohnJ says:

            Most blacks are half white. My source? I grew up in the ghetto there my source. I dealt with more black people in one day as a kid than you did your entire life

          • NOTREALLY says:

            Is your tiny brain capable of understanding that Mexican natives ARE NORTH AMERICAN? Mexico IS in north America.

            On the blacks being half white thing, no, just no, that’s absolutely false, growing up in “the ghetto” does not give you the slightest idea of what someone’s genetics are, you’re a walking Dunning-Krueger effect, just like the “muricansrallmutts” user, you guys are uneducated charlatans who have read a couple of esoteric posts somehwere on the internet and suddently believe that are somehow extremely knowledgeable.
            There’s literal studies done on Americans of African descent.

            “” the data shows that, for most African Americans, the majority of their DNA comes from African ancestors. The results also show that essentially all African Americans have some European ancestry ancestry as well. The genetic mix of African and European DNA, however, follows a striking geographical trend: African Americans living in Southern states have more African DNA (83 percent) than those living in other areas of the country (80 percent). Conversely, African Americans outside the South have a larger fraction of European DNA. Even within the South, this trend holds: Blacks in Florida and South Carolina have more African DNA than those living in Kentucky and Virginia.””

            Black Americans AREN’T half White, not by the longest shot. As I said, “dealing” as you put it, with Black people does not give you access to their genetic makeup.

      • RamboJohnJ says:

        What are you trying to say?

      • RamboJohnJ says:

        I’m half Irish half Indian if that’s what your asking

  5. RamboJohnJ says:

    Elvis is part Indian this is wrong

    • passingtime85 says:

      The profile addresses the possibility, but since it isn’t verified, only his confirmed ancestries are listed.

      • RamboJohnJ says:

        Well I look like Elvis type and I’m half Indian. Just because it’s not documented don’t mean anything many times it’s not documented for many reasons

      • RamboJohnJ says:

        And the DNA tests they give are extremely flawed. Elvis and Chuck Norris are Indian. But for many many reasons it’s not documented I’m also half Indian . Done of it is documented but the documents are wrong I’m half Indian not the amount the records say

        • passingtime85 says:

          I’m a third first nations from the northeast of the US, none of the companies I’ve tested with have pegged me incorrectly.

          Native American tribes won’t use DNA tests because it would diminish their enrollment censuses if admission was based on DNA, which would in turn decrease their revenue from government funding. So DNA testing will never be incorporated into tribe enrollment because it would shrink their bank accounts if they did. Most tribes today have very watered down members, with people getting to claim to be apart of a tribe because they can find one name on a census 200 years ago, attached to their family tree, that may or may not have been of a native American ancestor.

          • RamboJohnJ says:

            Yes I see interesting thats why I don’t do DNA tests I take my father’s word over any documents they he was Indian. And I’ll honor that. I do think both Elvis and Chuck are part Indian. Just not documented for many reasons it doesn’t get documented

          • passingtime85 says:

            My mom thought she was full native, she isn’t, just mostly, sometimes DNA testing is more accurate than family history.

          • RamboJohnJ says:

            Those DNA tests are extremely flawed it’s all a money Maker. For for 2 all Indian s alive today are mixed with white there are no full Indian s left. My father was half Irish half Indian. But since if your 25 percent or more Indian your counted as all I say I’m half Indian.

          • passingtime85 says:

            They’re not as flawed as you make them out to be. They do make mistakes but usually not overly so. Sounds like you’re more concerned about holding onto your perceived heritage, rather than give the tests the validity they deserve.

            So you think just 2 generations ago your grandparent was fully indigenous, but after that, all full blooded people absolutely mixed with non-indigenous people, guaranteed no ifs ands or buts? That’s an incorrect assumption. Most people are watered down but there are some non-mixed natives left.

            I suggest testing yourself with several companies.

          • RamboJohnJ says:

            I will Never take a DNA test I don’t take flawed money making tests. No I’m about half Indian. My father was truly half. Both he’s parents were also Half Indian. Both my great grandmother s were all Indian. I look part Indian to

          • RamboJohnJ says:

            I look in Indian to I kinda look like Elvis type with the Bone structure

        • italiano90 says:

          Elvis and Chuck are not “Indian” lol. Miniscule amounts of indian dna does not erase their predominate european ancestry and besides all of this is still unverified. You can just say they have distant indian ancestry but to say they are indian as if they have a full indian parent is just a little weird. It makes more sense to refer to latinos as “indians” considering a large amount of them have much higher indian ancestry than white americans and african americans.

          • RamboJohnJ says:

            Latinos are not Indian s. Sitting bull looked nothing like George Lopez. Elvis and Chuck had way more Indian in them . Then George Lopez. Latinos are part South American native there not the same thing as a Indian. Different cultures. And I’m almost half Indian myself

          • RamboJohnJ says:

            Also all black people in the USA are mostly white or at worst Half white should we can consider them white using your logic? Obama was a white man then.

          • passingtime85 says:

            You mixup race and ethnicity. Almost everyone that lived in the western hemisphere before the mass expansion triggered by Columbus, was the same race. They were mongoloids that descended from nomads that trekked the west coast of North America, settled in what would be considered present day Mexico, and then migrated north, south, and east after the environment would allow it.

            There’s possibly some Austronesian influence in South America and possibly some African DNA in the Caribbean populations that predates Columbus, but the evidence is sparse and in dispute. If that’s up for debate then there’s probably some Scandinavian DNA infused into North Eastern indigenous populations, that also predates Columbus, but like the others, there’s not much evidence.

            So overall they were all apart of one race, with many ethnicities. Race is based on skeletal morphology, with emphasis on cranial/facial structure. If you look at traditional locations of any ethnic population and compare it to their neighbors, you can see that race/ethnicity is a noticeable gradient scale, like the visible light spectrum. Close proximity typically blurs distinction. The further away populations get from one another the more distinct and visually/morphologically/aesthetically different from one they get. You can see this visually in person and even genetically in scatter plots that map out world wide DNA populations.

            Indigenous natives from the south of North America, modern Mexico, are the same as race as South American Natives, are the same as Alaskan natives, and Greenland natives. All the same race, all different ethnicities. They cluster together in DNA scatter plots.

            Latino is a mixed up word, that should not be used when referring to race/ethnicity. It doesn’t mean what most people think it means, and doesn’t refer to what people think it refers to. All it means is a person or people that speak a Latin based language, nothing to do with ethnicity or race.

            In the western hemisphere “Latino” typically refers to someone that was born into a family/culture that speaks Spanish or Portuguese as a first language, but people assume it means more than that. There’s black “Latinos”, east Asian “Latinos”, Slavic “Latinos”, German “Latinos”. Latino has nothing to do with race/ethnicity, it’s a language based term.

            Obama is half white and half black, but because of segregation laws of the United Sates, that have been ingrained into society’s views on race, if you’re 20% or more of Sub-Saharan African descent, then you’re all black. It’s a point of view based on societal practices, rather than based on genealogy/taxonomy, and it probably will never go away.

            I’ve taken different DNA tests. They used to just say I was partly Native American, but didn’t say where from. They knew I wasn’t from Mexico or the Caribbean, but nothing else.

            As time has gone by though, the companies have access to new sample sets, and have updated genotyping techniques, and incorporate them into their admixture results. They’re now more accurate. They now can confirm that my heritage is based in the Northeast of the United States. I don’t know why you’re adverse to technology and research/science. They’re ever improving.

          • NOTREALLY says:

            “Also all black people in the USA are mostly white ”

            Honestly, how can you even begin to argue with someone who says stuff like this? This is genuinely —— tier, reminds of of “allmuricansaremutts” user

            This person cannot comprehend the fact that even though the average latin American is a mestizo (mixed european/native), there are FAR MORE 100% natives in latin America than there are in both the US and Canada, what abnout those? aren’t they “indians”?

          • passingtime85 says:

            He’s just uniformed and biased. Mom my refuses to consider Meso-American and South American natives as Native Americans. She somehow considers them different because they’re in Latin countries. It’s some weird mental block that I think RamboJohnJ shares.

          • NOTREALLY says:

            the problem with this dude is that he doesn’t seem to understand the simple idea that mixing occurred at a MUCH HIGHER degree in the former Spanish territories than in present-day Canada/USA so the overwhelming majority of the latin american population is MIXED, that doesn’t mean they look like FULL natives
            If he literally took 5 minutes and searched for native central and southern Americans he would understand they ARE VIRTUALLY THE SAME genetically, they only differ culturally, like most of Europe, most of Asia, etc etc

      • RamboJohnJ says:

        Record s are just wrong my ancestor juila Elizabeth Hart was all Indian but the records have her documented wrong. American Indian s are not the same as Hispanic s

        • passingtime85 says:

          American Indians are not Indian at all. No first nation people called themselves or their land India on Indians, before the settlers came.

          If I came up to you and said you’re a blorgh, and all your relatives are blorghs, you shall now and forever be called blorghs, would you really call yourself and your people blorghs, just because I said so?

          That’s what happened to Native Americans. Some group of people incorrectly named them, and for a few hundred years natives allowed it. I understand it’s difficult to let go of tradition, but Indian is a poor term to use, it’s inaccurate and was forced upon people that didn’t even understand its origin. Red man is also a term forced on Native Americans, but I don’t hear you supporting that term, because it’s old, inaccurate(NAs come in many colors/shades), and not worth mentioning.

          Hispanic is also a language based term, it just means you were born into a specifically Spanish speaking family. Nothing to do with race or ethnicity.

          There’s indigenous tribes in Mexico that don’t speak Spanish at all and just speak their native tongue. Mexican indigenous people are “American Indians”. Mexico is in/on the North American continent.

          Records can be inaccurate, people can lie on censuses, information can be taken down incorrectly, people lie to one another, people make assumptions and don’t know the full stories of their family history.

          Do you know what doesn’t lie? Facts, data, statistical analysis, and empirical methodology. These help further the understanding of ourselves as a species and the forces of nature that rule the world around us.

          Genetic sequencing and genotyping is a rigorous study that’s always advancing and improving. You should not denigrate research that people devote lifetimes to, just because you think they’re wrong and you know better.

          I do not doubt you were told facts about your family, but it doesn’t mean what you were told was 100% accurate. People make mistakes, people tell half truths and full lies.

          Admixture tests can be flawed, geneticists that handle the tests and the have to interpret the results for consumers, can also be inaccurate for a number of reasons.

          That’s why you take things with a grain of salt, understand that everything is subjective and can possibly change, test with a few companies, and make a math based average of the results.

          Don’t be afraid to lose your heritage, regardless of who or what your ancestors were, they existed and you’re here because of their struggle and will to survive, a trait you share with every person on the planet. The soil your ancestors lived on doesn’t really matter, embrace your roots wherever the origins lie. Go get tested and stop being timid.

          You act as if finding out an accurate assessments of your roots would somehow change who you are, if you find out your roots weren’t what you expect. Would anything in your life change if you found out you were only 25% Native? Or none at all? Probably not.

          • RamboJohnJ says:

            Indian s never lie. My family was honest about my heritage my grandmother dripped of Indian like she just walked of the reservation

          • RamboJohnJ says:

            I’m not uninformed or baised my friend South American native s and Mexican s are Not the same as North American Indian s they may share some very long distent connection 30.000 years ago but that’s where it ends if you go back far enough we are all connected I’m half Mohawk Indian we are more light skinned than the Mexican s and south American s

          • passingtime85 says:

            The divergence of DNA between North and South natives is about 12,000 years. This doesn’t make them different races, just distinct ethnicities. People near the equator tend to have darker skin, more north you go, the less melanin, typically. Skin color does not mean much. Maybe if you were talking about bone morphology you’d have something. Natives from the Andes are short, but so are Inuits. Regardless all the same race with different languages different cultures, but all related.

            You are biased and all people lie, if you don’t admit that, you speak with a forked tongue

          • RamboJohnJ says:

            Look up will Sampson who called himself a Indian NOT a native. And look up George Lopez or El Chapo do they look the same race?? NO because there not those DNA test s are extremely flawed because no Indian have there DNA I’m just a half breed Indian protecting my favorite celebrities Indian heritage

          • passingtime85 says:

            Indigenous people that call themselves Indians out of habit, it’s wrong. George Lopez is mixed and not pure. You still don’t understand the difference between race and ethnicity.

            Do you think the Taku look like Mohawks? There’s different tribes/ethnicities everywhere on the two continents. You need to recognize that American indigenous people come in varied shapes and sizes.

            Those tests aren’t perfect, but you can’t discredit them.

          • RamboJohnJ says:

            They are not the same race. There are several different races of the original people of the Americas. And I call the ones native to the USA and Canada Indian s. And I’m proud to be a Indian. Elvis was my favorite singer of all time he was proud to be indian since he’s gone and can’t defend he’s Indian blood I’ll defend it for him

          • NOTREALLY says:

            dude, again, you’re comparing full Indigenous people with mix raced such as el Chapo or George Lopez, George Lopez literally has 50% European ancestry, are you legitimately dumb or just pretending?
            All the American natives are the SAME RACE

          • NOTREALLY says:

            Also since you’re making so many efforts to exclude south/central American natives from being “Indians”, do you realise they were the FIRST of all American natives to be called Indians right?

          • passingtime85 says:

            RamboJohnJ you don’t know the difference between race and ethnicity.

      • RamboJohnJ says:

        Nether do you

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