In 1830, Dickson's family moved to Georgetown, Copiah County, Mississippi, where he married Sophronia L. Magee. Dickson attended medical school in Lexington, Kentucky, and after graduating in 1841, moved, as part of a large group, to the Montgomery County, Texas, community of Anderson (present-day Grimes County).
Dickson's family made their home in Georgetown, Copiah County, Mississippi, in 1830. He married Sophronia L. Magee and later attended medical school in Lexington, Kentucky, graduating in 1841. As part of a large migration, he settled in the Anderson community (now Grimes County), Montgomery County, Texas.