Was Elvis Presley Jewish?

[firetown]

This seems to be one of the many unanswered questions often boxed into the "myths" category.
So... for what it's worth:
The answer is...
"technically yes".
“Turns out, Elvis’ maternal great-great grandmother, Nancy Burdine, was believed to be Jewish. Her daughter gave birth to Doll Mansell, who gave birth to Elvis’ mother, Gladys Smith. That, according to a Jewish law, which confers Jewish lineage by way of the mother, makes Elvis technically a Jew.”
https://www.rhesusnegative.net/staynegative/was-elvis-jewish/

 

[italouruguayan]

But...Elvis's mtDNA wasn't Native American?

 

[Duarte]

But...Elvis's mtDNA wasn't Native American?

That's what the FTDNA says. Elvis' matrilineal lineage is Native American.

 

[Angela]

In the American south of that time people would often obfuscate about their lineage in order to hide non-white ancestors. People who were relatively dark and had some small percentage of African ancestry would sometimes claim an ancient Native American ancestor. Those with Native American ancestry would insist their ancestors were Portuguese sailors etc.

In this case, perhaps they claimed Jewish ancestry to explain their looks, believing all Jews to be dark and "exotic" looking. Their descendants would only have heard the "changed" story.

It's reminiscent of the Melungeons, who long claimed they were the descendants of Portuguese sailors who worked on the slave ships and some Native Americans, whereas modern dna testing revealed that they were the descendants of black male slaves and white female indentured servants, a group which formed in Virginia very early in American history before the color line became so rigid, and who moved further south and into isolated areas as time passed, admixing with some white settlers along the way.

Given where Elvis' female line originated, it wouldn't at all surprise me if he had some small percentage not only of Native American but also of black ancestry, given that there was some admixture between those two groups in that area.

 

[Palermo Trapani]

I think Elvis's granddaughter Riley Keough did a DNA test and publicly confirmed Cherokee ancestry on her Mothers side (the late Lisa Marie) which was from her Maternal Grandfather, Elvis, and through Elvis Pressley's maternal lineage. I don't think she mentioned Jewish ancestry or anything else.

 

[real expert]

I think Elvis's granddaughter Riley Keough did a DNA test and publicly confirmed Cherokee ancestry on her Mothers side (the late Lisa Marie) which was from her Maternal Grandfather, Elvis, and through Elvis Pressley's maternal lineage. I don't think she mentioned Jewish ancestry or anything else.

True. The granddaughter of Elvis only confirmed that he had Native American ancestry. But it's intriguing that Elvis' granddaughter is the one in the Presley family that is part Jewish since her father is half Irish and half Sephardi and Ashkenazi Jew. Anyway, I recall a documentary about Elvis where the rumors and even "evidence" that he had a Jewish maternal great-great-great-grandmother were brought up. The thing is: Elvis' positive view and approach towards Judaism, his mother's headstone grave with the Star of David and a Cross, and the suggestion that he was descended from Nancy J. Burdine, a Jewish woman, appeared to be convincing "evidence". One relative of Elvis, however, dismissed the rumors about a Jewish heritage as myth, a figment of the imagination of a delusional relative who lied to a biographer. In addition, the actual genealogical research didn't find any Jews in his family tree.

Besides, here's one picture of Elvis' maternal grandparents: Robert Lee Smith and Octavia "Dollie" Lavenia Mansell who were first cousins. In my opinion, the Native American admixture is visible in the maternal grandfather.

 

[Angela]

I think Elvis's granddaughter Riley Keough did a DNA test and publicly confirmed Cherokee ancestry on her Mothers side (the late Lisa Marie) which was from her Maternal Grandfather, Elvis, and through Elvis Pressley's maternal lineage. I don't think she mentioned Jewish ancestry or anything else.

Sorry, Palermo, I'm a bit confused. If the Cherokee ancestry is proved through mtDna it would have nothing to do with Elvis. Riley Keough's mother Lisa Marie would have the mtDna of Elvis' wife Priscilla. Men can't pass on mtDna.

If the Native American showed up on the autosomes, the only way to know whether it was from Elvis or Priscilla would be if the testing company had samples from both of them.

 

[Palermo Trapani]

I was perhaps not clear. So I think it goes like this. Elvis Pressley's Mother was Gladys I think her name was and she had a Cherokee Great-Grandmother (I think it was). So lets assume she was what 1/8 Cherokee and assume Elvis would average around 6-6.5%. So Lisa Marie would be on average half that, so lets say about 3% making Riley 1.5%. So I was trying to connect Elvis having Cherokee DNA through his maternal lineage, which would be Lisa Maria's Paternal Grandmother who was Elvis Pressley's Mother. Riley Keough would be lets say about 1.5% Cherokee perhaps.

I think what I wrote above makes sense!!!!!!

Yes, I forgot about Priscilla. I haven't heard if she has ever talked about her genetic ancestry in public. So it is possible Riley Keough got Native-American from her as well. I know from watching Elvis documentaries (my parents grew up in the 50's when Elvis became Elvis) so kind of had Elvis pushed on me as a young person and my parents took me to see him around 1975 when I was young.

 

[Angela]

I was perhaps not clear. So I think it goes like this. Elvis Pressley's Mother was Gladys I think her name was and she had a Cherokee Great-Grandmother (I think it was). So lets assume she was what 1/8 Cherokee and assume Elvis would average around 6-6.5%. So Lisa Marie would be on average half that, so lets say about 3% making Riley 1.5%. So I was trying to connect Elvis having Cherokee DNA through his maternal lineage, which would be Lisa Maria's Paternal Grandmother who was Elvis Pressley's Mother. Riley Keough would be lets say about 1.5% Cherokee perhaps.

I think what I wrote above makes sense!!!!!!

Yes, I forgot about Priscilla. I haven't heard if she has ever talked about her genetic ancestry in public. So it is possible Riley Keough got Native-American from her as well. I know from watching Elvis documentaries (my parents grew up in the 50's when Elvis became Elvis) so kind of had Elvis pushed on me as a young person and my parents took me to see him around 1975 when I was young.

No need to get excited, Palermo. I just wanted to clarify whether you were talking about mtDna or autosomal dna. As you know, Gladys' mtDna (and Elvis') would not have passed down to Riley.

I wonder whether the information about Gladys having a Cherokee grandmother is based on testing, some sort of census document, or just family lore.

If it's just family lore, as I'm sure you also know, "white" people often explained away particularly dark looks by claiming Indian ancestry (and everybody wanted it to be Cherokee), when it was actually African ancestry, or African/Indian ancestry.

There's a youtuber I followed for a while who only found out when she was about 30 that her grandmother came from a family in Louisiana of such mixed ancestry. Dna testing has uncovered a lot of secrets.

 

[Palermo Trapani]

Angela: Sorry if my post came off that way, I was more excited at myself for writing such an unclear post. Yes your are corrrect, the Jim Crow laws were written n such a way to allow families related to the older aristocratic Southerners of WASP, Scottish, Welsh ancestry, etc, to still be part of that society if they had 1/16 Native American. If they had 1 great-grandparent who was, they were not. Virginia started this and other Southern States followed.

 

[real expert]

..........

If it's just family lore, as I'm sure you also know, "white" people often explained away particularly dark looks by claiming Indian ancestry (and everybody wanted it to be Cherokee), when it was actually African ancestry, or African/Indian ancestry.

There's a youtuber I followed for a while who only found out when she was about 30 that her grandmother came from a family in Louisiana of such mixed ancestry. Dna testing has uncovered a lot of secrets.

There is no doubt about it.

The"one-drop rule" was so strict that some white people in the South were presumably highly concerned about even the smallest amount of black admixture. But occasionally DNA findings confirm family lore. Having said that, many black Americans have family stories regarding their Native American ancestors too. Because they were ashamed of having Euro ancestry that was often attributed to slavemasters sleeping with enslaved African women, some black Americans who were very fair-skinned with long, flowing loose curly hair and high cheekbones denied any European ancestry. They instead claimed Cherokee or Native American ancestry that turned to out be European after DNA testing.


Anyway, Gladys 'grandfather had most certainly Native American admixture. Also, Presley was not naturally dark haired; he dyed his hair black to appear more "masculine".

 

[Angela]

I read he dyed his hair to look more like Gladys, whom he adored.

Regardless, he made the right choice, imo, although he was beautiful as a blonde as well.

I can't believe I didn't appreciate him or see his appeal when I was a teen-ager, and into my 20s. Partly it was because "that" Elvis was the overweight, gaudily dressed Elvis of the Vegas concerts.

Then someone told me to watch the earlier "Come Back" Concert, and I was hooked.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAwdZcozdLk

 

[firetown]

I can't believe I didn't appreciate him or see his appeal when I was a teen-ager, and into my 20s. Partly it was because "that" Elvis was the overweight, gaudily dressed Elvis of the Vegas concerts.

I remember being really into him when I was 13. I also remember being the only one my age who was into him.