8/16/2007

Elvis and me

A young woman named NANCY J. BURDINE married ABNER HAMPTON TACKETT, both b. 1825, and they begat:

MARTHA TACKETT m. A. WHITE MANSELL, and begat:

OCTAVIA LAVENIA “LUCY” MANSELL m. ROBERT LEE “BOB” SMITH, and begat:

GLADYS LOVE SMITH m. VERNON ELVIS PRESLEY, and begat:

ELVIS ARON PRESLEY (b. January 8, 1935 d. August 16, 1977)

***

NOW, start with that same young couple: NANCY J. BURDINE m. ABNER HAMPTON TACKETT and begat:

SERENA B. VALE TACKETT m. RICHARD “DICK” PENNINGTON, and begat:

SARAH ELIZABETH PENNINGTON m. ISAAC LAFAYETTE “IKE” TURNER and begat:

MARION MONROE TURNER m. KATIE BELL PIERCE and begat:

ISAAC LAFAYETTE TURNER (b. 1905) m. RUTH MARIE TIMMONS (b. 1907) in 1925 and begat:

BETTY JEAN TURNER (B. J. Trotter) (b. 1942)

***

The daughter of my father's cousin, Hazel Wright Jones of Oxford, Miss., spent a quarter of a century compiling a 500-page book* tracing our family tree. I treasure my copy. One of the interesting persons she found in our family tree is Elvis Presley!

Abner Tackett and Nancy J. Burdine Tackett were my great-great-great- grandparents on my father's side and Elvis' great-great grandparents on his mother's side.

I remember my daddy’s stories about “Grandma Pennington” – Serena - moving her children by wagon after her husband was killed in the Civil War and fighting off Indians along the way.

And, I remember exactly where I was the first time I heard Elvis on the car radio and exactly where I was when I heard he had died – 30 years ago today.

Thanks, Hazel, for the family tree! And, thanks, Elvis, for the thrills.

* LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CALL NUMBER: E548 .W55 1991. 11. 92-125897: Jones, Hazel W. (Hazel Wright), 1931- ) Wright-Tubbs family tree and related branches. Memphis, TN (5049 Haleville Rd., Memphis 38116): H.W. Jones, c1991, 474 p.: ill. (some col.).

***

BBC’s “This Day in History, August 16, 1977, article and broadcast: LINK

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Now, are you sure that your relative wasn't Elvira Anon Priestley who was even more famous? She was the first female executed for rustling, pigs, I believe, in Sunflower County, Mississippi.
(Guess who)

B.J. said...

Ah, Anon, I remember Elvira was the best of friends with your auntie, Moonbeam McSwine.

Remember that song she used to sing to you when you were just a little halfling?

Howdy, boys, I’m Moonbeam McSwine.
Sleeping out with pigs is my line.
The fellas admire me,
But they don’t squire me
Unless the weather is fine.
But, I does all right when the wind blows the other way!

Guess we all have black sheep in our families. I’ll stick with Black Velvet Elvis!

BJ

airth10 said...

I have an Elvis connection that is also semi-remarkable.

A few weeks ago a customer brought in a painting she had done of Elvis for framing. She picked it up today, the 30th anniversary of his death. I thought the coincidence was interesting, at least to me it was.

B.J. said...

Airth10:

A very interesting way to mark the anniversary!

Contraryto the exchange above, “Anon” and I both like Elvis and understand his impact, not only on music, but on American society as well.

People who think it’s cool to make fun of Elvis are young and didn’t live Elvis!

Email me about the frame you made for “The King.”!

BJ

Anonymous said...

I Just read this:

"THE KING may be dead, but his earning power is in rude health. In the year to October 2006, Elvis Presley raked in an estimated $42 million, according to Forbes magazine's annual list of top-earning dead celebrities.

"Only Kurt Cobain, another troubled music star who died young, earned more. But, this may prove to be a temporary de-throning—Elvis has topped all five previous lists, and over that time has earned an estimated $239 million.


"Charles Schulz, who created the 'Peanuts' cartoon strip, is his nearest rival."

Airth10