Daily AncestorDower
Dower was a widow's legal right to a life estate in part of her husband's land, usually one third, after his death.
Dower was the share of a dead husband's real estate that the law reserved for his widow, normally a life interest in one third of it. She could live on it or take its income, but it passed to his heirs after her death.
Because dower followed the land, a wife could release her claim when her husband sold, so many deeds carry her signature or a separate release.
As seen in a recordCounty probate court record, 1800s
Ordered that commissioners lay off to the widow Ann Bell her dower in the lands of her late husband.
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Daily Ancestor. "Dower." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/legal-land/dower. Last checked 2026-10-01.