Carey Estes Kefauver
Congressman and Senator for the State of Tennessee, and Vice-Presidential nominee Carey Estes Kefauver was born in Madisonville, TN, and grew up only two blocks away from the Monroe County, TN Courthouse. His father owned both a hotel and farm implement store that were located across the street from the Courthouse Square. As a young boy Estes would sometimes skip school while Court was in session so that he could slip into the Courtroom and hear the great orators of the day argue their cases. When he decided to run for President of the United States, Estes picked the Courthouse he loved as the place he would make his announcement to the world. At his death, he was brought back to Madisonville. His funeral was held in his local Church and he is buried in a small cemetery on the family farm.
Audie Leon Murphy
Audie Leon Murphy, highly decorated solider from World War II, including the Congressional Medal of Honor, and subsequent movie star has family roots in Monroe County, TN. Mary Jane Lunsford married Curtis Gill on March 31, 1856 in Monroe County, TN. Curtis was a soldier in the Confederate army, serving in Vaugn's Third Regiment of Tennessee Mounted Infantry (Lillard's) and died on his way home from the War. Their daughter, Sarah Elizabeth Gill, married Jefferson Davis Killian on May 17, 1883 in Monroe County, TN. Sarah and J.D. Gill later moved to Collins County, Texas. Their daughter, Josie Belle Killian, married Emmett Murphy, who were the parents of Audie Leon Murphy.
Elvis Aaron Presley
Dunnan Presley is listed on the the 1840 census for Monroe County, TN. His son, known as Dunnan Presley, Jr., states on his military pension application that he was born in Monroe County, TN on July 1st, 1827. On November 9th, 1847, Dunnan Presley, Jr., went to McMinn County, TN, where he enlisted in Capt. Vaughn's Company C, 5th Regiment (McClellan's) Tennessee Infantry in the Mexican War. After the Mexican War, Dunnan, Jr. states he resided in Monroe County, TN from 1848 to 1873. However, we know that Dunnan, Jr., wandered from home in 1861 and married Martha Jane Wesson on August 15th, 1861 in Itawamba County, Mississippi. Two daughters were born to this marriage, Rosalinda and Rosella Presley. Rosella recalled to family members that her father just left one day, returning to his family in Tennessee, never to be seen by them again. Rosella Presley never married, but had ten children. One of her sons was Jessie D. McClowell Presley, who was the father of Vernon Elvis Presley, who was the father of Elvis Aaron Presley.
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