Elvis Presley Family Facts

Family Paternal Heritage

Johannes Valentin Bressler, the founder of the Presley family in America, was born in the Palatinate, Germany, 1669 in the village of Hochstadt (where the Preslar family was first mentioned in 1494); Valentine was employed there as a vine dresser; he married Anna Christiana Franse (Born Germany 1674) and immigrated to New York in 1710; In the early generations of the family, in America, the German surnames were often turned into English (in parenthesis); after the mid-1800s many members of the family changed their last name to Pressley or Pressly.
This continued down Elvis Presley's 'line' to his grandfather Jessie (J.D.).

(Johannes was shortened to Johann and then John).

In June of 1710, approx. 2,400 Germans (Palatinate) arrived in New York and New Jersey from England. On June, 14 arriving on the ship 'Fame', Captain Walter Houxton, were the following:
Johann Valentin Bressler, 41,
Anna Christiana, 36,
Anna Elisabetha, 14,
Anna Gertrud, 12,
Andreas, 6,
Antoni, 4, and
(son) 1-1/2.

Regarding the sons of Valentine and Christina Bressler/Preslar, the following information as given by a Preslar descendant, Robert Allen, who defines that the two sets of Preslars living in Anson County, NC, are not only the children of Andreas and Antje (Anna) Wells, but of Hans Jurie Preslar, brother of Andreas.
It appears that the descendants of Hans Jurie kept the 'Preslar' surname while the descendants of Andreas seem to have shifted over to Pressley and Presley, perhaps to differentiate between the two families.

Allen writes that '... Valentine Preslar, the founder of the family in America, was born in the Palatinate, Germany, 1669 in the village of Hochstadt (where the Preslar family was first mentioned in 1494); Valentine was employed there as a vine dresser; he married Christina Franse and immigrated to New York in 1710; In the early generations of the family the German surnames were often turned into English (in parenthesis); after the mid-1800s many members of the family changed their last name to Pressley or Pressly'. This continued down Elvis Presleys 'line' to his grandfather Jessie (J.D.) and on occasion his Father, Vernon.

Johannes Valentine Bressler/Preslar Line

Children of Valentine and Anna Christiana:

Anna Elizabeth Preslar b. 1696
Anna Gertrude Preslar b. 1698
Andreas (Andrew) Preslar b. 1704 (ancestor of Elvis Presley)
Anthony Preslar b. 1705
Maria Agnes Preslar b. 1710
Hans Jurie (John) Preslar 1713-1777
Martinus Preslar b. 1716
Pieter (Peter) Preslar b. 1717

(Some sources list Andreas (Andrew) Preslars year of birth as 1701).

Andreas Preslar was born in Germany in 1704 and died 1759 in Anson, North Carolina, USA.
He was to marry Antje (Anna) Wells of Staten Island, New York, in 1727, they moved through New York through PA to Maryland and then to Anson Co. NC. Antje Wills born 1697 in Southold, Suffolk, New York, USA and died 1765 in Anson, North Carolina, USA. (Some sources have her last name as Wills).

Children born and baptized in St. Stephen's Parish, Cecil County, MD:

Christian Preslar b. 1725
John Valentine Preslar b. 1726
Sarah Preslar b. 1728
Thomas Preslar b. 1730
Andrew Preslar, Jr b. 1732

Andrew Presley, Jr. Line - first generation NC/SC/TN/MS {Elvis direct line}

Andreas (Andrew) and Antje (Anna) Preslar had five children born and baptized in St. Stephen's Parish, Cecil County, MD; Christian Preslar b. 1725, John Valentine Preslar b. 1726,
Sarah Preslar b. 1728,
Thomas Preslar b. 1730 and
Andrew Preslar, Jr, younger brother of Thomas, was born 1732.