Life of Gladys Sarah Huffstetler

(1894-1983)

Paternal grandmother of Linda Louise Presley

Huffstetler Tree #6, Page 3

  Ancestry Profile              Ancestry Pedigree

Gladys Sarah Huffstetler was born on August 30, 1894 in Illinois. Her parents were Stephen G. Huffsteter (1867-???) and Rosetta Sitton (Huffstetler, Sitton) (1874-1957). Her parents divorced about 1899. Her father remarried Josephine Grandsinger and had one son, Joseph H Huffstetler. Her mother remarried John Henry Presley and had two children, Clyde June Presley (Hill) and Noble Sitton Presley.

Gladys married Lee Alva “Ab” Presley on October 30, 1909 in the village of Hardin, Illinois. Six children were born of this union, Norman Edward (1910-1989), Stanley (1913-1980), Ralph Alvin (1917-1917, infant death), June Violet (1920-2004), Donald Lee (1925-2002), and Vernon Ellis (1928-1992). “Ab” worked as a section employee for the Burlington Railroad for 3 to 4 years, then the family moved to Alton, Illinois in 1913 where he was employed by the Federal Lead Company during World War I and afterwards. His health was severely impaired by lead poisoning and this brought the family back to the cleaner air of Elsberry and vicinity in 1922. He never completely recovered from the lead poisoning which made him bedfast for one year while living in Alton. 

After two straight crop failures in 1923 and 1924 – one by flood and the other by drought, Ab followed the road graveling work for several years as a means of providing for his family. His last public service was doing custodial and security work in the city of Elsberry.

As far as we know, Gladys was a stay at home mom for all her married life and never worked outside the home. She passed away on April 11, 1983 in Elsberry, Missouri.