The history of the town of Dorchester, Massachusetts, By a committee of the Dorchester antiquarian and historical society ...

392 HISTORY OF DORCHESTER.
shows that many who were born here must have
died elsewhere. In seating the people in the meeting-house, in 1692, there were seats provided for
171 men and 180 women, and on Sundays they were
expected to be in their seats. The rateable polls in
the town, in 1641, were " not lesse in number than
six score or theraboute," which multiplied by five,
the usual mode of computing the population, would
give 600 inhabitants. In 1727 there were rateable
polls, 252; this would give, including 17 slaves,
1,277. The number of houses at that time was 117.
In March, 1776, the number of inhabitants, including 35 negroes and mulattoes, was 1,550. After
this last date, the national censuses, from 1790 to
1850, show the population to have been as follows:
Year. Houses. Population.
1190 256 1,722
1800 305 2,347
1810 2,930
1820 3,684
1830 4,064
1840 4,458
1850 7,968
By censuses of the State and town, the population
was as follows:
By the town in 1840 4,875
1846 6,500
1848 7,386
By the State in 1855 8,357
In giving an account of the dress and early habits
of our ancestors, we can offer nothing that will compare with the admirable description given by Rev.