From NKAA, Notable Kentucky African Americans Database (African American Women Veterans in and from Kentucky)
Military Branch
Women's Army Corps
Active Duty Entered
March 8, 1945
Active Duty Exit
November 5, 1946
Notes
Effie M. Turner was born in Fulton, KY, the daughter of Lavinia Alexander and Bennie Turner. She was living in Michigan when she enlisted in the Army, according to her record in Ancestry. She and her family were living in Fulton when they were enumerated in the 1930 U.S. Census. Lavinia Turner was a widow when the family was enumerated in the 1940 U.S. Census.
By 1943, Turner had left Kentucky and was living in Ann Arbor, MI, listed in the city directory as living at 1133 Broadway. Her family joined her in Michigan in 1944. The following year, Effie enlisted in the Army in Wayne County, MI.
Her first husband was Bobby Simpson. She was divorced and living in *Willow Run Village, MI, in 1950 when she married J. T. Patterson in Lucas County, OH. The couple lived in Ann Arbor, MI, where Effie died in 1994. She is buried in the London Township Cemetery in London, MI.
Sources: Ohio Marriages Records in Ancestry; Michigan Death Index in Ancestry; U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs BIRLS Death Files in Ancestry; Effie M. Patterson in Find A Grave; Polk's Ann Arbor (Washtenaw County, Mich.) City Directory, 1943, p. 328; and Lavinia (Alexander) Lockett obituary in the Battle Creek Enquirer, 3/19/1996, p. 4.
*Willow Run Village was also known as Air Force Plant 31; it was a manufacturing complex constructed by the Ford Motor Company where aircraft were produced during World War II. The complex was located between Ypsilanti and Belleville in Michigan. In 1943, there were about 3,000 people living at the complex. After the war, the University of Michigan used the complex for housing married student veterans. In 1948, there were 1,300 veteran students and their families living in the "barrack-like structures cut up into small apartments." Sources: Willow Run Village @ Google.com; and W. J. Baird, "Student life is rugged at Willow Run Village," Lansing State Journal, 3/7/1948, p. 12.
By 1943, Turner had left Kentucky and was living in Ann Arbor, MI, listed in the city directory as living at 1133 Broadway. Her family joined her in Michigan in 1944. The following year, Effie enlisted in the Army in Wayne County, MI.
Her first husband was Bobby Simpson. She was divorced and living in *Willow Run Village, MI, in 1950 when she married J. T. Patterson in Lucas County, OH. The couple lived in Ann Arbor, MI, where Effie died in 1994. She is buried in the London Township Cemetery in London, MI.
Sources: Ohio Marriages Records in Ancestry; Michigan Death Index in Ancestry; U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs BIRLS Death Files in Ancestry; Effie M. Patterson in Find A Grave; Polk's Ann Arbor (Washtenaw County, Mich.) City Directory, 1943, p. 328; and Lavinia (Alexander) Lockett obituary in the Battle Creek Enquirer, 3/19/1996, p. 4.
*Willow Run Village was also known as Air Force Plant 31; it was a manufacturing complex constructed by the Ford Motor Company where aircraft were produced during World War II. The complex was located between Ypsilanti and Belleville in Michigan. In 1943, there were about 3,000 people living at the complex. After the war, the University of Michigan used the complex for housing married student veterans. In 1948, there were 1,300 veteran students and their families living in the "barrack-like structures cut up into small apartments." Sources: Willow Run Village @ Google.com; and W. J. Baird, "Student life is rugged at Willow Run Village," Lansing State Journal, 3/7/1948, p. 12.
Kentucky County & Region
Read about Fulton County, Kentucky in Wikipedia.
Kentucky Place (Town or City)
Read about Fulton, Kentucky in Wikipedia.
Outside Kentucky Place Name
Item Relations
Cited in this Entry
| NKAA Source: Ancestry (online) |
| NKAA Source: Battle Creek enquirer (newspaper) |
| NKAA Source: Polk's Ann Arbor (Washtenaw County, Mich.) city directory, 1943 |
| NKAA Source: Lansing state journal (newspaper) |
Related Entries Citing this Entry
| none |
Cite This NKAA Entry:
“Patterson, Effie Mae Turner Simpson,” Notable Kentucky African Americans Database, accessed July 27, 2024, https://nkaa.uky.edu/nkaa/index.php/items/show/300004396.
Last modified: 2023-05-15 15:44:19