(RockAndMetal.com) (08/09/04)

By Chris Duncan

Edited By Michael Bennett

EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND - It was going to happen soon or later: MacElvis.

The Tartan Bandwagon has rolled into town and it wants "The King Of Rock 'N' Roll" to jump on board.

Scottish author Allan Morrison recently claimed that ELVIS PRESLEY's ancestry could be traced back to an Aberdeenshire blacksmith called Andrew Presley.

Morrison stated that he was born around 1720 of Andrew and Elspeth (Leg), that Andrew junior relocated to Paisley and then across the Atlantic to become the first Presley in America (1745).

This story was catapulted across the world and featured in BBC and CNN news reports.

Alex Salmond (MP for Buchan and Banff) even tabled a motion in the House of Commons welcoming the news.

A Presley Of Lonmay tartan has also been created in celebration.

There are even rumours of a tour of the parish being planned for our American cousins.

But what of the proof?

Most genealogists agree that Elvis Presley's lineage can be traced back to an Andrew Presley residing in the Carolinas, circa 1750.

The ancestry of that Andrew Presley is where the differing theories arise.

Some believe he hailed from the Germanic Preslar family, while others suggest ancestry in the Presley Hills and the Parish of St. Elvis in Wales.

As much as I would love to promote the Scottish connection I think the Lonmay claim is perhaps the most unsubstantiated of them all.

For starters, there is no entry for an Andrew Presley (circa 1720) in the parish registers for Lonmay or its environs.

The nine other children of Andrew and Elspeth had baptism entries, so why not Andrew?

Morrison's claims seemed to mirror previous theories regarding a Paisley blacksmith called Andrew Presley, although he maintains the blacksmith originally hailed from Lonmay.

Could it be that Morrison's assertions were based on IGI data? The only Andrew Presley entry circa 1720 is the marriage of Andrew and Elspeth. Maybe he assumed that they must have been Andrew's parents?

The Lonmay Presley would not have been the first in America by a long way.

This accolade almost certainly goes to William Presley, one of the first Virginian settlers who emigrated in the 1630s and became a Burgess of Northumberland County.

I would personally be inclined to look closely at this family for evidence of Elvis's ancestry.

William had two sons, William and Peter, both achieving positions of high status.

Many of Peter's descendants were called Peter, a name that crops up in Elvis Presley's verifiable lineage.

There is less known about the family of the elder brother William, but later Presleys are mentioned in Northumberland county court documents, so they may have been his descendants.

There is also documental evidence of at least one other Andrew Presley already in North Carolina by 1745.

Morrison's publishers informed me that "evidence is well-documented on the web and in publications that reported the news at the time."

I couldn't find it myself.

But that doesn't matter, because Elvis sells papers!

I wish the public was privy to slightly more conclusive evidence than "I was able to trace his family tree, and when it got back to Lonmay it was like striking gold."

However, it may be the media rather than Morrison that is to blame for this.

News of a newly-discovered document would have made very interesting reading though and added weight to the argument.

Statistically speaking, it's more likely Elvis Presley hailed from England.

In 1750, there were probably fewer than 150 Presley adults in Britain, with Scotland accounting for only about 10% of that total.

We may not even be having this discussion if it weren't for Elvis's great grandmother.

Rosella Presley, a virtuous, churchgoing lady never married the father(s) of any of her nine children, so the Presley surname is of matronymic descent.

Elvis Presley's grandfather Jessie D. McClowell Presley (Rosella's son) never knew who his father was, but it has been suggested that the clue lies in his middle names.

If that were true the ancestral possibilities would be narrowed down somewhat.

However, Elvis McClowell, "The King Of Rock 'N' Roll," just doesn't have the same ring!

- ©2004 Chris Duncan

Chris Duncan is a Professional Scottish Family Historian and Writer.

Copyright 2003-2008 Chris Duncan/Internet Music Media. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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