Elwood remembered that either his paternal grandmother, Elizabeth Clark, or great grandmother came from Ballykelly, Donegal County, Northern Ireland, which was loyal to England and settled by Scots. These "Orangemen" fought for William of Orange and can be traced back to Cessford & Ferniehirst in Scotland, where the Ker/Kerr crest is one of the coats of arm featured in Sir Walter Scott's banquet hall. On the maternal side, his relations were mostly Welsh and English. A couple Americans were Congressman: William J. Price represented Wisconsin in 1887, and Hiram Price represented Iowa in 1894. Elwood's father, Lucien Bonaparte Price received his middle name because his father, Eugene, admired Napoleon. Lucien's mother, Ruth Ann Weaver, migrated to California in a covered wagon.