Pessian was born into a prominent Azerbaijani family originating in the Caucasus. Pessian's family possessed strong military traditions, his uncle General Hamzeh Khan Pessian was a commander in the Persian Cossack Brigade, his cousins Heydar Qoli Khan Pessian – father of Iranian author and journalist, Mahtalad Pessian – Ali Qoli Khan Pessian, Gholam Reza Khan Pessian and himself served in Gendarmerie. He is buried in Mashhad, Khorasan in the same garden that contains Nader Shah's tomb.