From NKAA, Notable Kentucky African Americans Database (African American Women Veterans in and from Kentucky)
Military Branch
Women's Army Corps
Active Duty Entered
January 20, 1943
Notes
Dorothy Mae Lewis was born in Lexington, KY, the daughter of Carolyn Moore and James T. Lewis, a musician. The family is enumerated in the 1920 U.S. Census. James Lewis was no longer with the family when the 1930 U.S. Census was taken, and his daughter Dorothy lived with her mother and an aunt. The mother, Carolyn Lewis, is listed as a widow in 1930, though James T. Lewis did not die until 1967.
In 1940, Dorothy M. Lewis is listed as single in the city directory. She is listed twice in the 1942 city directory at 244 Race Street. Her name was listed as Dorothy M. Lewis and as Dorothy L. Dickerson, who was employed as a maid. In the 1943 directory, her name is listed as Dorothy M. Lewis when she was employed as a stenographer.
In 1943 Dorothy M. Lewis enlisted in the Army in Cincinnati, OH, according to her record in the National Archives, Access to Archival Databases; however, her name is given as Dorothy Lewis Dickerson in the local newspaper. She did her basic training at Fort Des Moines, IA.
After her military service, Dorothy Lewis returned to Kentucky, where she married James W. Peyton. The couple filed for divorce in 1952, and Dorothy Lewis took back her maiden name. She was employed at the Lexington Blue Grass Army Depot, retiring in 1972 after 20 years of employment. Dorothy M. Lewis Dickerson Peyton died in Frankfort, KY in 2006.
Sources: Social Security Death Index in Ancestry; Kentucky Birth Index in Ancestry; U.S. Social Security Applications and Claims Index in Ancestry; James T. Lewis in "Notes and Obituaries," The Lexington Herald and the Lexington Leader, 10/14/1967, p. 16; "Dorothy M. Lewis retires from Depot," The Lexington Herald, 9/20/1972, p. 30; "In and around Lexington: new suits filed," The Lexington Herald, 12/4/1952, p. 3; "Dorothy Lewis Dickerson," Sunday Herald-Leader, 4/4/1943, p. 11; "Trains at Des Moines," Sunday Herald-Leader, 8/1/1943, p. 12; Polk's Lexington (Fayette County, KY.) City Directory, 1940-41, p. 383; Polk's Lexington (Fayette County, KY.) City Directory, 1942, pp. 118 and 241; and Polk's Lexington (Fayette County, KY.) City Directory, 1943-44, p. 196.
In 1940, Dorothy M. Lewis is listed as single in the city directory. She is listed twice in the 1942 city directory at 244 Race Street. Her name was listed as Dorothy M. Lewis and as Dorothy L. Dickerson, who was employed as a maid. In the 1943 directory, her name is listed as Dorothy M. Lewis when she was employed as a stenographer.
In 1943 Dorothy M. Lewis enlisted in the Army in Cincinnati, OH, according to her record in the National Archives, Access to Archival Databases; however, her name is given as Dorothy Lewis Dickerson in the local newspaper. She did her basic training at Fort Des Moines, IA.
After her military service, Dorothy Lewis returned to Kentucky, where she married James W. Peyton. The couple filed for divorce in 1952, and Dorothy Lewis took back her maiden name. She was employed at the Lexington Blue Grass Army Depot, retiring in 1972 after 20 years of employment. Dorothy M. Lewis Dickerson Peyton died in Frankfort, KY in 2006.
Sources: Social Security Death Index in Ancestry; Kentucky Birth Index in Ancestry; U.S. Social Security Applications and Claims Index in Ancestry; James T. Lewis in "Notes and Obituaries," The Lexington Herald and the Lexington Leader, 10/14/1967, p. 16; "Dorothy M. Lewis retires from Depot," The Lexington Herald, 9/20/1972, p. 30; "In and around Lexington: new suits filed," The Lexington Herald, 12/4/1952, p. 3; "Dorothy Lewis Dickerson," Sunday Herald-Leader, 4/4/1943, p. 11; "Trains at Des Moines," Sunday Herald-Leader, 8/1/1943, p. 12; Polk's Lexington (Fayette County, KY.) City Directory, 1940-41, p. 383; Polk's Lexington (Fayette County, KY.) City Directory, 1942, pp. 118 and 241; and Polk's Lexington (Fayette County, KY.) City Directory, 1943-44, p. 196.
Kentucky County & Region
Read about Fayette County, Kentucky in Wikipedia.
Kentucky Place (Town or City)
Read about Lexington, Kentucky in Wikipedia.
Outside Kentucky Place Name
Item Relations
Cited in this Entry
| NKAA Source: National Archives, Access to Archival Databases (online) |
| NKAA Source: Ancestry (online) |
| NKAA Source: The Lexington herald and Lexington leader |
| NKAA Source: The Lexington herald (newspaper) |
| NKAA Source: Polk's Lexington (Fayette County, KY.) city directory (annual) |
Related Entries Citing this Entry
| none |
Cite This NKAA Entry:
“Peyton, Dorothy Mae Lewis Dickerson,” Notable Kentucky African Americans Database, accessed July 27, 2024, https://nkaa.uky.edu/nkaa/items/show/300004467.
Last modified: 2023-05-15 15:21:44