Before the Revolution: Boston Tea Party (1773)

No taxation without representation!

The Boston Tea Party, an iconic event along the road toward the American Revolution, was a political protest by the Sons of Liberty in Boston, Massachusetts against the tax policy of the British government and the East India Company which controlled all the tea imported to the colonies. Officals in Boston refused to return three shiploads of taxed tea to Britain, so on December 16, 1773 a group of colonists boarded the ships and threw the tea into Boston Harbor.

The men who dumped the tea into the harbor were not only of English descent, but of Irish, Scottish, French, African, and Portuguese origins as well. About one-third of them were skilled artisans such as carpenters, masons, and shoemakers. A much smaller number worked at jobs such as merchants, doctors, and clerks. The majority were apprentices and common laborers. Only nine are known to have been 40 years old or older. Sixteen were teenagers. Most were from the Boston area, but some came from as far away as Worcester and Maine.

No one knows who planned the protest, but participation in it was regarded as treason and very dangerous. Not all of the participants are known. Some carried the secret of their involvement to the grave.

Profiles to be added to this project should be participants of the Boston Tea Party, or others closely connected to it.

A list of the known participants as compiled by the Boston Tea Party Historical Society can be found at this link: http://www.boston-tea-party.org/participants/participants.html

A list including bios for many of the men can be seen on the Boston Tea Party Museum link: http://www.bostonteapartyship.com/participants-in-the-boston-tea-party

Another list can be found at this link: http://genealogytrails.com/mass/bostonteaparty.html

Participants in Boston Tea Party include:

• Francis Akeley (Eckley) - only person to be imprisoned for Tea Party.
• Nathaniel Barber - early revolutionary and soldier, Major Rev Army, Mason, died 1787.
• Samuel Barnard - Major Rev Army, died 1782.
• Henry Bass – 34, 1739-1842, (1813?), early revolutionary, buried at Granary Burying Ground, Tomb 184.
• Joseph Bassett - Capt. Rev Army
• Edward Bates
• Adam Beals Jr.
• Thomas Bolter - 38, 1735-1811, Capt. Rev Army, buried at Central Burying Ground, Tomb 41.
• David Bradlee - 31, 1742-1811, Capt. Rev Army, Mason (St. Andrew’s Lodge), buried at Central Burying Ground, Tomb 85.
• Josiah Bradlee - 19, 1754-1798, buried at Central Burying Ground, Tomb 85.
• Nathaniel Bradlee - 27, 1746-1813, MCMA, buried at Central Burying Ground, Tomb 85. (Tea Party company disguised themselves as Indians at his home.)
• Thomas Bradlee - 29, MCMA, Mason, died 1805, buried at Central Burying Ground, possibly Tomb 85.
• James Brewer - Capt. Rev Army, MCMA, Mason, died 1805.
• John Brown - 27, Capt. Rev Army, entry 1718, died 1782.
• Seth Ingersoll Browne - 23, 1750-1809, Bunker Hill, buried at Granary Burying Ground, exact location unknown.
• Stephen Bruce - Mason, died 1801.
• Benjamin Burton - 24, 1749-1835, Maj. Rev Army.
• Nicholas Campbell - 41, 1732-1829.
• George Carleton
• Thomas Chase – 36, 1737-1787, early revolutionary, Mason (St. Andrew’s Lodge), buried at Granary Burying Ground.
• Ezekiel Cheever
• Nathaniel Child
• Benjamin Clark - MCMA, died 1840. (Three sons may have been in Tea Party also.)
• Jonathan Clark - Sgt. Rev Army.
• John Cochran - 24, 1749-1839.
• Gilbert Colesworthy - 29, 1744-1818.
• Gersham Collier, - Mason, died 1825.
• Adam Collson - 35, 1738-1798, early revolutionary, Mason.
• James Foster Condy - died 1809.
• Daniel Coolidge
• Joseph Coolidge
• Samuel Coolidge
• Samuel Cooper - 18, LT Rev Army, died 1840.
• William Cox
• Thomas Crafts - 33, Col. Rev Army, early revolutionary, died 1799.
• John Crane - 29, Brig. Gen. Rev Army, early revolutionary, Mason, died 1805.
• Obadiah Curtis
• Thomas Dana, Jr.
• Amasa Davis – 28, 1745-1825, Quarter-Master, Rev. Army, buried at Central Burying Ground, Tomb 120.
• Robert Davis - 26, Maj. Rev Army, early revolutionary, Mason, died 1798, buried at Central Burying Ground, Tomb 120.
• John DeCarteret
• David Decker
• John Dickman
• Edward Dolbeare - died 1796.
• Samuel Dolbeare
• John Dyar, Jr.
• Joseph Eaton – 23, 1750-1825, hatter, Capt. Rev Army, buried at Granary Burying Ground, Tomb 200.
• Joseph Eayres
• Francis Eckley (see Francis Akeley)
• Benjamin Edes - 41, early revolutionary, died 1803.
• William Etheridge
• Samuel Fenno - died 1806.
• Samuel Foster - Capt. Rev Army, died 1778.
• Thomas Fracker - died 1806.
• Nathaniel Frothingham, Jr. - LT. Rev Army, died 1825.
• John Fulton – 40, 1733- .
• Sarah Fulton (Bradlee)
• John Gammell – 22, 1751-1828, revolutionary war soldier, buried at Central Burying Ground, Tomb 211.
• Eleazer Gay
• Thomas Gerrish
• Samuel Gore – 22, 1751-1831, MCMA, Mason, buried at Granary Burying Ground, Tomb 131.
• Moses Grant - 30, 1743-1817, MCMA.
• Nathaniel Greene - early revolutionary, MCMA.
• Timothy Guy
• Samuel Hammond - 24, 1749-1842.
• Peter Harrington
• William Haskins
• William Hendley - 25, 1748-1830, Mason.
• George Robert Twelves Hewes - 31, 1742-1840, shoemaker, left diary of Tea Party.
• John Hicks - 48, 1725-1775, killed April 19, 1775 at Arlington by British retreating from Battles of Lexington-Concord.
• Samuel Hobbs - 23, 1750-1823.
• John Hooton – Sgt. Rev Army.
• Elisha Horton
• Elijah Houghton
• Samuel Howard (born Hayward) - died 1797.
• Edward Compton Howe - 31, 1742-1821, buried at Central Burying Ground, Tomb 87.
• Jonathan Hunnewell - 14, 1759-1842, First president MCMA.
• Richard Hunnewell - 36, 1737-1805, Mason, MCMA.
• Richard Hunnewell, Jr. – 16, 1757- ?
• Thomas Hunstable - 20, 1753 - ?, Mason.
• Abraham Hunt - 25, 1748-1793, Col. Rev Army, Valley Forge.
• Daniel Ingersoll - 23, 1750-1829, Mason.
• Daniel Ingoldson
• Charles Jameson
• Robert Jameson - Capt. Rev Army
• Jared Joy
• Robert Lash
• Amariah Learned
• Joseph Lee – 28, 1744-1831, Capt. Rev Army, Mason, buried at Granary Burying Ground, Tomb 125.
• Nathaniel Lee - Capt. Rev Army
• Amos Lincoln – 20, 1753-1829, Lt. Col. Rev Army, Bunker Hill, married 2 daughters of Paul Revere, MCMA, Mason.
• John Locke - Sgt. Rev Army
• Matthew Loring - 23, 1751-1829, buried at Granary Burying Ground, Tomb 75
• Joseph Lovering - 15, 1758-1848, MCMA.
• Joseph Ludden - Sgt. Rev Army
• David Lyon
• Thomas Machin - 29, 1744-1816, Capt. Rev Army, Bunker Hill, Mason.
• Ebenezer MacIntosh - 36, 1737-1812, early revolutionary.
• Peter McIntosh
• Archibald MacNeil - 23, 1750-1840.
• John Marston - Bombadier Rev Army.
• Martin, probably Wm. P. MCMA.
• Thompson Maxwell - 31, 1742-1835, LT. Rev Army, Concord, Bunker Hill.
• John May – 25, 1749-1812, Col. Rev Army, buried at Central Burying Ground, Tomb 131.
• Mead, probably John - MCMA.
• Henry Mellius
• Thomas Melville - 22, 1751-1832, Maj. Rev Army, early revolutionary, Mason, MCMA.
• Aaron John Miller - Dr. Rev Army
• James Mills
• William Molineaux - 57, 1718-1774, hardware merchant, early revolutionary, buried at Granary Burying Ground, Tomb 19.
• Francis Moore
• Thomas Moore - 20, 1753-1813, buried at Granary Burying Ground, Tomb 197.
• Anthony Morse - LT. Rev Army
• Joseph Mountfort - 23, 1750-1838, LT. Rev Army, MCMA.
• Eliphalet Newell - 38, 1735-?, artillery officer, Mason.
• Joseph Nicholls - Capt. Rev Army
• Samuel Nowell
• Joseph Pearse Palmer - Major Rev Army, Mason, died 1788.
• Jonathan Parker
• Joseph Payson – 30, 1743-?.
• Samuel Peck - early revolutionary, Mason.
• John Peters - 41, 1732-1832, Lexington, Bunker Hill.
• William Pierce - 29, 1744-1840, barber, MCMA, buried at Granary Burying Ground, Tomb 184.
• Isaac Pitman -Capt. Rev Army
• Lendall Pitts - 26, 1747-1787, early revolutionary, MCMA.
• Samuel Pitts - 28, 1745-?, early revolutionary.
• Thomas Porter - died 1800.
• Henry Prentiss -24, 1749-1821, Capt. Rev Army, MCMA, Mason.
• Nathaniel Prentiss, ??? probably 1626 (N. S. Prentiss).
• Rev. John Prince - 22, 1751-1836, Mason, (later said he was a witness and not a Tea Party participant)
• Edward Procter - 40, 1733-1811, Col. Rev Army, early revolutionary, Mason.
• Henry Purkitt - 18, 1755-1846, Col. Rev. Army, MCMA, Mason (St. Andrews Lodge), buried at Central Burying Ground, Tomb 69.
• Seth Putnam
• John Randall
• Joseph Reed - Capt. Rev Army
• Paul Revere - 38, 1735-1818, Col. Rev Army, early revolutionary, MCMA founder, Mason.
• Benjamin Rice - Capt. Rev Army
• Jonathan Dorby Robins
• Joseph Roby
• John Russell - MCMA, Mason, died 1778.
• William Russell - 25, 1748-1784, Sgt.-Major. Rev Army, Mason.
• John Sawtelle
• George Sayward
• Edmund Sears -Capt. Rev Army
• Robert Sessions - 21, 1752-1836, LT. Rev Army.
• Joseph Shed - 41, 1731-1812, buried at Granary Burying Ground, Tomb 69.
• Benjamin Simpson - soldier, died 1849.
• Peter Slater, Jr. - 14, 1759-1831, Capt. Rev Army.
• Samuel Sloper
• Ephriam Smith
• Josiah Snelling - MCMA, died 1873.
• Thomas Spear - died 1789.
• Samuel Sprague – 19, 1724-1814, Sgt. Rev Army, MCMA, buried at Central Burying Ground, Tomb 5.
• John Spurr - 25, 1748-1822, Maj. Rev Army.
• James Starr - 32, 1741-1831.
• Phineas Stearns - 32, 1741-1798, Capt. Rev Army Lexington, Dorchester Hts.
• Ebeneezer Stevens (Gen. Rev Army), 22, Revolution + War of 1812, died 1823.
• James Stoddard
• Elisha Story - 30, 1743-1805, Dr. Rev Army, Lexington, Bunker Hill.
• James Swan – 19, 1754-1831, Col. Rev Army, Bunker Hill, Mason.
• Abraham Tower - Sgt. Rev Army
• Bartholomew Trow – 37, 1736-1806, Capt. Rev Army, buried at Central Burying Ground.
• John Truman
• Benjamin Tucker Jr.
• Thomas Urann - Capt. Rev Army, Mason, died 1791.
• James Watson - Capt. Rev Army
• Henry Wells - Capt. Rev Army, Mason.
• Thomas Wells – 27, 1746-1810, blacksmith, Mason.
• Josiah Wheeler – 30, 1743-1817, Capt. Rev Army, Dorchester Hts., buried at Central Burying Ground, Tomb 109.
• John Whitehead -LT. Rev Army
• David Williams – 14, 1759-1836, buried at Granary Burying Ground, probably Tomb 62.
• Isaac Williams
• Jeremiah Williams
• Thomas Williams - 19, 1754-1817, Sgt. Rev Army, Lexington.
• Nathaniel Willis - 18, 1755-1831, MCMA.
• Joshua Wyeth - 16, 1757-after 1827, Revolutionary soldier.
• Thomas Young – 41, 1742-1777, Dr. Rev Army, early revolutionary, Army svc.

Sources:

• http://www.boston-tea-party.org/participants/participants.html
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston_Tea_Party
• http://www.history.com/topics/boston-tea-party
• http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/teaparty.htm
• http://genealogytrails.com/mass/bostonteaparty.html
• http://www.bostonteapartyship.com/participants-in-the-boston-tea-party
• http://www.oldsouthmeetinghouse.org/osmh_123456789files/BostonTeaPa...