To request a copy of this photo for your own personal use, please contact our state coordinator. If you are not a family member or the original photographer — please refrain from copying or distributing this photo to other websites.
Thank you for visiting the Ohio Gravestone Photo Project. On this site you can upload gravestone photos, locate ancestors and perform genealogy research. If you have a relative buried in Ohio, we encourage you to upload a digital image using our Submit a Photo page. Contributing to this genealogy archive helps family historians and genealogy researchers locate their relatives and complete their family tree.
Submitted: 2/15/14 • Approved: 2/16/14 • Last Updated: 8/13/15 • R180979-G0-S3
The Rev. Howard Hardy Presley, 88, died 17 Feb 1927 in the Columbus, Ohio, home of his son John R. Presley. Rev. Presley was a retired minister. He was born 22 May 1839 in North Carolina, a son of Mr. and Mrs. John R. Presley, according to his death certificate. The birth year on his tombstone is 1846. From his obituary in The Portsmouth Daily Times: "Rev. Presley was well known throughout Portsmouth (Ohio) and vicinity, where he had spent the past 60 years of his life. Rev. Presley conducted services in churches in this city, New Boston, Sciotoville and numerous other communities in the county during his many years of service in the ministry. He was born in North Carolina, where he spent his early childhood. He served during the Civil war and received his honorable discharge at the close of the war. Soon after he started his career in the ministry and was active in this work until forced to retire on account of his age." He married Lettie Messer Presley, who died in 1916. Mr. and Mrs. Presley are buried in Milldale Cemetery, Scioto County, Ohio. In addition to his son, Rev. Presley was survived by three daughters, Mrs. Joseph W. Bailey, Mrs. Charles Locher, Mrs. Dan Neal, Mrs. Harry Schomberg; two brothers, Sam and Robert, and two sisters, Mrs. Laura Lambert and Mrs. Mary Jones, all of North Carolina; 28 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. According to a Presley researcher, after his wife Lettie died Rev. Presley married Lettie's sister Martha Messer Rice Adkins on 22 July 1918 in Boyd County, Ky. Sources: Ohio death certificate, Registration District 392, File No. 8898, courtesy of Malinda Cook; and obituaries, The Portsmouth Daily Times, “Death Calls Rev. Presley,” 18 Feb 1927, Page 3; Obituary: Rev. Howard Presley, 19 Feb 1927, Page 8; and “Funeral Today,” 20 Feb 1927.
Contributed on 2/15/14 by wvamemories-graves
Email This Contributor
Suggest a Correction
Record #: 180979