Goodness… It’s been 35 years since the King passed on. According to an article in tabletmag.com, Elvis’s great great maternal grandmother was Jewish and had a daughter who had a daughter who had a daughter that was Elvis’s mother. For a guy with Jewish ancestry, he sure did sing great gospel. I’ve spent hours relaxing and listening to Elvis sing some of the best gospel music ever recorded.
Historian and biographer Elaine Dundy writes about Elvis Aron Presley’s Jewish heritage in her book “Elvis and Gladys”:
“…Nancy Burdine was married to Abner Tackett (Elvis’ great great maternal grandmother). Nancy was of particular interest to Gladys for her Jewish heritage, often remembering Nancy’s sons for their Jewish names Sidney and Jerome. Nancy and Abner had a daughter Martha who married White Mansell. The daughter which they named Octavia, nick-named Doll, who was Elvis’ maternal grandmother.”
“…Doll and Robert had nine children. Gladys Love was the fifth daughter born followed by 3 more brothers and one sister. After his mother died, Elvis personally sought to design his beloved mother’s gravesite which included a Star of David on Gladys Love Presley’s tombstone. The decision was made by him in honor of his Jewish heritage. Something his mother was proud of and acknowledged to Elvis at a very early age.
So who was Celia Ann Butler?
Celia Anne butler (my great, great, great, greatgrandmother) was Elvis’ great, greatgrandmother on the Love side (Loves, Smiths, Mansell, Tackett-side, mostly from the Pontotoc County, MS areas)
Having said that, I know nothing of any Nancy Burdine. As far as we know, our great, great, great, greatgrandfather Abner Hampton Tackett (1803-1889) was only married to Celia Anne Butler (1809-1873)… but anything is posseabel.
I have never heard of Nancy Burdine??? If anyone can supply the source for this that’d be stellar