Elvis Presley’s father was born on April 10, 1916 in Fulton, Itawamba County, Mississippi.
Early years and love for Gladys
Vernon Presley was born on April 10, 1916 in Fulton, Mississippi, the son of Jesse D. McDowell “JD” Presley and Minnie Mae Presley. The siblings Vester Presley (* 1914), Delta Mae Presley Biggs (* 1919), Gladys Erlene Presley Dowling (* 1923) and Nashval Lorene Presley Pritchett (* 1925) follow in the next few years.
Jesse D. and Minnie Mae are devout Christians and so Vernon came into contact with the church early on. The parish church services are attended regularly and prayer was part of everyday life for the Presley family. So it was that Vernon met and fell in love with Gladys Love Smith in church as a teenager. He quickly realizes that he has found his great love.
Gladys and Vernon Presley – Wedding with Obstacles
The young couple want to get married and start a family as soon as possible, but face a problem – Vernon’s age. He is 17 and Gladys is already 21 years old. For example, the age on the young man’s wedding registration was faked to 22 and that of his partner to 19 years.
A marriage license (in English Marriage License) was issued in the United States by churches or state authorities and entitled to state marriage. Vernon Elvis Presley and Gladys Love Smith married on June 17, 1933 in Verona, Mississippi.
Elvis Presley is born
When Gladys became pregnant in 1934, thought was given to the accommodation of the young family. Since the Presleys belonged to the poor white lower class, Vernon was forced to build a small two-room wooden house in the poor neighborhood of Tupelo, Mississippi. His brother Vester, father Jesse D. and a small loan from his employer helped.
On January 8, 1935, Gladys Presley gave birth to two sons. However, the firstborn Jesse Garon is not viable and is born stillbirth. A short time later, little Elvis follows. In the following years he became the center of his mother’s life. Both have a very close relationship. Brother Vester teaches little Elvis Presley to play the guitar. The family regularly attends the Assembly Of God Church and is seen singing gospel songs.
Job loss and imprisonment
To support the family, Vernon Presley works as a cotton picker and factory worker. Frequent job losses, however, put an enormous strain on everyday life. In 1938, Vernon and two work colleagues forged a paycheck and was arrested. He was then sentenced to three years of forced labor and released early in 1939.
The son a star!
When Elvis Presley made his breakthrough as a rock star in the mid-1950s, this finally gave the family a carefree life. The purchase of their first home on Audubon Drive in Memphis, Tennessee marked the turning point in the lives of the Presleys.
Strokes of fate and death
After his beloved wife Gladys Presley died in August 1958 of complications from hepatitis, Vernon Presley married nurse Davada Mae “Dee” Elliott on July 3, 1960 in Huntsville, Alabama. Since Davada already had offspring from his first marriage, this partnership remained childless. The divorce took place in 1977.
The death of son Elvis Presley on August 16, 1977 left a broken father. Vernon could not overcome this loss. He ensures that Elvis and Gladys are buried in the meditation garden of Villa Graceland and writes the epitaph for his famous son.
Vernon Presley died of heart failure on June 26, 1979 at the age of 63 in Memphis, Shelby County, Tennessee, USA. He, too, is buried in Graceland’s garden.