Dorinda Dixon was born on August 10, 1826 in Missouri. Dorinda Dixon married William Dougan in 1842.  The Dogan's were neighbors of the Dixon's. William and Dorinda eloped on horseback to Hardaway where they were married in a courthouse.  Realizing that she was much too young to marry, Dorinda wrote the number 18 on a piece of cardboard and placed it in her shoe. When she was questioned about her age, she said that she was "over eighteen". Dorinda's wedding gift from her father was $1,000 to be used to buy land.

William and Dorinda were the parents of twelve children:

• Robert Dixon who married Lula Atterwood.
• Laura Dixon who married D. M. Beckner.
• Daisy Dixon who married John Ellis.
• Ida Jean Dixon who married Lee Nelson.
• George Dixon who married Lena Jones.
• Lester Dixon who married Rosa Cox.
• Walter Dixon who married Edna Erwin.
• James Brady Dixon who married Hazel Hardy.
• Lizzy Dixon who married Jessie Able.
• Lilly Dixon who married Lester Greer.
• Clay Dixon who married David Huston.
• Maxine Dixon who married Ellis Jonas (nephew of Charles Jonas).

Each child had a beautiful home wedding with a special dinner prepared by their mother, Dorinda.  The dinner included a lovely wedding cake hand made by their mother, Dorinda.

Parties in the home were the main entertainment for the young people.  William and Dorinda worked hard to provide a social life for their large family.  During one of their parties, Harvey "Cobra" Jonas, the most notorious of Charles Jonas' children and some of his infamous friends appeared uninvited.  One of Harvey's friends shot a lighted lamp from Dorinda's hand.  She was not injured, but she immediately left the room.  Returning with a gun, she told the uninvited guests to leave.  After seeing Dorinda's determination, the uninvited guests left quickly.

Family gatherings were a happy time for all. It was always special to talk, laugh, watch the grandchildren play, and share a wonderful dinner.

In 1839, the Jonas Family moved to Dorinda and purchased 63% of the land from the Dixon Family. After a few years, the Jonas family was receiving more credit for founding Dorinda than Tom W. Dixon was.  This angered Hiram Dixon.  Hiram began to fight to save his family's legacy. He and his sister, Dorinda, lobbied to have several sites in Dorinda marked as national landmarks to honor Tom W. Dixon and the Dixon family.  Several members of the Jonas family objected to this.  These members of the Jonas family felt that the Dixon Family name required no recognition since the Jonases owned the majority of the land in Dorinda. Hiram and Dorinda continued to lobby for the deserved recognition.

After a year, Dorinda lost hope of her family ever receiving recognition from the Jonas.  She gave up the struggle because it was disrupting her family life.  Hiram was determined and stubborn and he continued to fight.

In 1898, the Dixon family finally received recognition.  The main street through town was named Dixon Street. Dixon Street still exists today. Also, there were two other streets named for the Dixon family, Dixon Court and T. W. Dixon Road. Dixon Court is now Baker Street and T. W. Dixon Road is now T. W. Dixon Freeway. The House of Art, a Dorinda landmark and home to the Dixon Family library, resides on Baker Street.

William and Dorinda lived the last of their years of their lives next door to their daughter, Lilly.

Dorinda died in 1904 and William died in 1907. They are buried in the Dixon Family Cemetery.