Sarah Ethel McCoy, known as Ethel, was born at the family homestead in Cherry Creek, Pontotoc Co., Mississippi, to John Teague McCoy, Sr. and Sally McCoy, nee McCord, on 16 JUN 1912, both parents of Scottish descent.

Ethel was only 8 years old when her father passed away on 19 FEB 1921.

Ethel helped her mother with her two younger siblings while she lived at home. The siblings are:

John Teague (J.T.) McCoy, Jr. 1914
Mildred Delores McCoy 1917

Ethel had half siblings from her father's previous marriage to Jennie Frances McCoy nee Pitts. After Jennie's death, he married my great grandmother, Sarah Elizabeth McCord. Sam Everett McCoy is in the family photo posted to the pages of each person in the photo on this site.

Childhood notes:
Ethel had a mastiff named Raleigh and a large white mare horse named Sandy. Sandy did not like bridges and would jump to clear them, even with the buggy attached. Her favorite toy was a porcelain doll named Irene. She also had funny sayings like: "Home, James", "Shut that door, Richard", and "living the life of Raleigh". I suppose there might have been household staff named Richard, thus this saying occurred. Raleigh, the dog, must have had a good life as well. "Home James" was how Queen Victoria addressed her driver as his last name was Darling and would have been highly inappropriate to call him "Darling".

When Ethel turned 16, she moved to the town East Tupelo and became a seamstress at Reed Manufacturing. East Tupelo was incorporated into Tupelo at a later time. While working in Tupelo, Ethel was supporting her family in Cherry Creek.

Ethel, age 17, married Eack Presley, age 23, on 26 OCT 1929, in Fulton, Itawamba County, MS. The marriage license confirms the mother and father of both the bride and groom. Witnesses were listed as Clyde McCoy and Nettie Smith. Ethel told me that the economy was so bad that she and Eack ate cornbread and fried potatoes their first year of marriage. She was a very petite person, per her description, she was just tall enough to stand under Eack's nose. That changed. As she matured, she gained a couple more inches.

Eack and Ethel brought her mother, Sallie McCoy, J.T. and Mildred to live with them, soon after they were married.

In 1936, Ethel received her Social Security card, with enactment of The Social Security Act of 1935. Years later, Ethel kept the article from the State Gazette, Dyersburg TN, dated 9 AUG 1985, on the Social Security Administration 50th Anniversary article, 1935-1985, and in her handwriting made the notes regarding the information here.

After JT and Mildred were independent, Eack and Ethel had their own family, two children, Jerry and Hazel.

Sarah "Sallie" Elizabeth McCoy nee McCord, lived with Eack and Ethel in Hughes, AR, until a few months before her passing. As with many southern families, Eack, Ethel, Sallie, Hazel, and her two children all lived in one house.

Ethel was a great cook! I loved her fried chicken, peach cobbler, chocolate cake, truly everything she cooked was amazing, even the fried bologna! She always had a great garden. I remember her telling me as a young child that the man was coming with the mule and wagon to deliver manure for the garden. The best fertilizer!

While living and being raised by Ethel, called "mamma" pronounced "mammaw", she taught me many cooking skills and how to sew. Ethel sewed my childhood clothing until I was about ten years old. She shared her costume jewelry and sense of dressing your best with me. I still have a few pieces of her jewelry from the 1920s to 1970s.

One of my favorite words she used while I was in high school is "paraphernalia"; this was code for feminine products. This was also a turn of the century Victorian word. Another term she used was "hobgoblins", origin Scotland. Hobgoblin aka as the bogeyman is based out of Yester Castle which had Goblin Ha (Hall). Yester Castle is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS).

Event of a Lifetime:
Two of Ethel's co-workers and family members were Gladys Smith Presley and Annie Presley at Reed's Manufacturing. When it was time for Gladys to have her baby, the mid-wife and Ethel were present. The doctor was called for when it became apparent that assistance with the deliveries would be needed. As most people know, Gladys is Elvis' mother and had twins during this delivery. Elvis' twin, Jessie Garon, died at birth and is also buried at Graceland. The babies were born at home and most of the Presley family lived within close proximity of one another, so it was normal for another family member to have been present at a birthing event. The only time I ever saw mamma cry was the day Elvis died. My cousin Ed and I were at the country club swimming, and we were teasing her on the way home for being slow getting there to pick us up. Then she shared with us that Elvis died and tears were on her cheeks. It got very quiet in the car on the way home. Our immediate family is very stoic and tears is not something you would hardly ever see. Tears and emotion were for private moments.

Eack and Ethel attended the First United Methodist Church in Hughes, AR. Eack and Ethel were married 58 years when Eack passed away in August 1987. Ethel passed away 9 MAR 1996 at the Methodist Central Hospital in Memphis, Shelby County, TN. Eack's Cause of Death was respiratory arrest due to pneumonia and sepsis. See Eack's memorial for more information. After Eack's passing, Ethel gave me their 1984 Toyota Corolla to use during college and as a young mother. What a wonderful gift!

Eack and Ethel are both missed dearly.

Eack and Ethel were my brother and my legal guardians. They raised me from an infant through high school graduation.

The family homestead was in Cherry Creek, MS and the house was standing until New Year's Eve, 31 DEC 1975. There were tenants living in the home when the home burned to the ground. There exists color photos of the homestead taken by me as a child with my little Kodak camera on our last visit, and one square nail with white paint on the head, possibly hammered by my own great grandfather, her father John Teague. The photos contain images of Eack, Ethel, my brother, me, the house, land and outer building.

When I was flying home FEB 1996 to see my grandmother in the hospital in Memphis, there was bad weather and the pilot could not land in Memphis. He came on the overhead and stated we were landing in Oklahoma. This is the only time I used the Presley name to my advantage. I whipped out my drivers license and told the stewardess, I just can't land in Oklahoma, my grandmother is in a hospital in Memphis and I have to get home! A short time later, there was an announcement that we would be landing in Little Rock, AR, which is a much shorter drive to Memphis than Oklahoma. A huge thanks to that pilot.

NOTE: This Ethel Presley IS NOT related to Robert Donald Presley. That is a completely different Ethel, and completely different family line. The other Ethel is not related to my lineage.

Find A Grave Memorial #9704425 SARAH ETHEL McCOY PRESLEY originally created 24 OCT 2004 by Jason Presley, transferred to and maintained by Suzanne E Presley, her granddaughter.
Last update 31 JAN 2024