Dorchester was first settled in 1630 and remained an independent town until 1870, when it was annexed to Boston. The original area of the town of Dorchester included the Boston neighborhoods of South Boston and Hyde Park, and the present towns of Milton, Wrentham, Stoughton, Dedham, Sharon, Foxboro, and Canton. The population of Dorchester was 1,550 in 1776; 1,722 in 1790; and 7,968 in 1850. (quoted in the NEHGR news)