Elvis Presley

1935-1977

The history of Elvis Presley and his family is long and complex. Born January 08, 1935 in Tupelo, Mississippi to Vernon Presley and Gladys Smith, he was born a twin, however his brother Jesse was stillborn.

The fame, accomplishments, and personal life of Elvis have been well written about, and so this will focus on several issues that remain unresolved in the eyes of many researchers in regard to the Presley genealogy.

His birth middle name is "Aron"; however, it is evident that Elvis preferred to spell it "Aaron", writing it that way in his own hand on several occasions - in addition, it is spelled that way on his grave at Graceland.

His ancestry is fairly uncomplicated until you arrive at his great grandmother Rosella Presley. Rosella Presley is not her married name - it is her birth name. From all accounts, she never married, and bore all nine children out of wedlock. The children received the Presley name directly from her. In addition, the father(s) of these children were never named. Perhaps the new frontier of DNA and genetic genealogy can shed some light on this mystery someday.

For many years, it was said that this Presley line descended from David Pressley, who was of Anglo-Irish origin; however, in recent years, this has come under increasing scrutiny and doubt. More evidence now seems to weight that Elvis is actually of German descent from Johannes Valentin Pressler / Preslar (1669-1742) and Anna Christina Frantse / Frantz (1674 - ) This family came to New York in 1709.

It is interesting to note that if indeed he is descended from Johannes Valentin Pressler, then he would also be related to former President Jimmy Carter, as Johannes would be their common ancestor.

View Elvis' Family Tree here. Note that this tree presents an early German ancestry as noted above.