First found in Herefordshire where they had been granted lands by William the Conqueror for their assistance at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 A.D.

To escape the political and religious persecution within England at the time, many English families left for the various British colonies abroad. The voyage was extremely difficult, though, and the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving. But for those who made it, the trip was most often worth it. Many of the families who arrived went on to make valuable contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families reveals a number of immigrants bearing the name Dower or a variant listed above: James Dore who settled in Virginia in the year 1621; one year after the arrival of the "Mayflower"; followed by James in 1774; Mrs. Dore arrived in Norfolk Virginia in 1820 with her child.

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