Carl Ellan Kelley First Contacted Her Father at 17 – Facts about Aretha Franklin’s Sister

Carl Ellan Kelley was best known as Aretha Franklin’s sister, but her relationship with her father, Reverend C. L. Franklin, was even more interesting… and scandalous at times.

Carl Ellan Kelley was born on November 17, 1940, to Mildred Jennings and Rev. C. L. Franklin, but she was raised by Mrs. Cornelious Mayo Hill Berry, her grandmother. Sadly, she passed in January 2019.

Her parents, Aretha Franklin, and her daughter, Vivian Smith, died before her. Her other children were Herman E. Wheatly III and Charles G. Smith. Carl Ellan Kelley also had several grandchildren and great-grandchildren by the time she passed.

According to the book “Singing in a Strange Land,” Carl always knew who her father was, but it wasn’t until she was close to 18 that she contacted the famous reverend by writing him a letter. Like other teens entering adulthood, she wanted to know who she was.

As part of A. R. Williams’s church in Memphis, Tennessee, Carl knew the minister was close to her father and confided in him about her desire to reach out. The minister encouraged her, but surprisingly, her father didn’t call her directly after reading her letter.

Instead, he contacted the minister, who was like his close brother. Their conversation was allegedly a mystery, but it’s said that the minister forced him to finally acknowledge Carl as his daughter, something the reverend didn’t want to do for several reasons.

While his reputation in the church was excellent, there was gossip about his personal in the community. His illegitimate daughter’s reappearance ignited the rumors gain, and they were scandalous. Aside from having an extramarital affair, Mildred was just 12 years old when she gave birth to Carl. The kicker is that none of his Detroit children knew about his other daughter.

Carl visited Detroit a few months after their first contact, and her father acknowledged her as his own. For the reverend, the act was seen as something his father should’ve done but never did, but the situation was different for Carl.

She viewed him as being forced to acknowledge what happened. Still, she made the most of the situation and visited Detroit to meet her siblings, except Carolyn Franklin. While the whole family was rocked by the news of his father’s other kid, Rachel Franklin, “Big Mama,” embraced Carl with open arms.

Unfortunately, the reverend never talked about her when he was in church. He never asked for forgiveness from the congregations in Detroit and Memphis. However, he lost some awkwardness around her after more of her frequent visits.

When she moved to New Orleans, he would have her by his side during preachings at the church. Carl and the reverend had a familial relationship when she moved to Seattle.

The eldest sister, Erma Franklin, was a gospel and soul singer best known for recording the original “Piece of My Heart.” There’s also Cecil Franklin, who became a reverend like their father.

There’s little information about Carl’s relationship with her siblings, although it must have been positive since Aretha left her $50,000 in her will in 2014.