Dorothy was born in December 1854 in Truro, Cornwall and was baptised on December 31st, 1854. Dorothy's father was Thomas Pearce and her mother was Mary Bullock. Her paternal grandparents were Thomas Pearce and Ann Clemow; her. She was the fourth of five children. She had a brother and three sisters, named Thomas, Ann, Mary and Ann. She had a half-brother and a half-sister, named Thomas and Elizabeth.