In the early part of the present century, the Rev, Dr. Thaddeus M. Harris (at that time, and for many subsequent years, the much respected minister of Dorchester) wrote a history of this ancient town, and published it in the printed Collections of the Massachusetts Historical Society, Vol. 9, 1st Series. In the latter part of his life he contemplated publishing a much more elaborate work upon the same subject, for which his long residence in the town, and his taste for historical research, eminently qualified him; but before making much progress in carrying out his design, his declining health and subsequent decease deprived the public of the accumulated materials chiefly entrusted to his memory. After this event, sundry gentlemen of Dorchester, impressed with the importance of collecting and preserving all existing materials tending to illustrate the early occurrences of the pioneer plantation of the Bay, from which it is believed more than 200,000 persons now living in the United States can trace their origin, associated themselves together under the name of the Dorchester Antiquarian and Historical Society.