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| The Original Sons of Liberty and the Boston Tea Party |
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| Written by Donald N. Moran |
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The Sons of Liberty, the original organization, and not our Chapter, was formed in 1765 to combat the famed Stamp Act. It was a SECRET organization, of which we surprisingly know very little. Considering that the actions they were taking were, in the eyes of the King, treason, carrying the death penalty, it is no wonder they kept few records, and certainly no membership rolls. It is generally believed that the membership was quite restricted, for security reasons, with most members being also known as members of the various Committees of Correspondence. The many actions attributed to the "Sons" or "Liberty Boys," by which name they were also known, were probably instigated by the "Sons," but those participating were sympathetic supporters, and not necessarily members. This was true of the most famous event December 16th, 1773 sponsored by the Sons of Liberty – "The Boston Tea Party." The following is a first hand written account of the "Tea Party," written by participant Samuel Cooper. We do not know when Cooper wrote this account, but in all probability, many years after. Of interest to us as members of the SAR, Cooper was also a veteran of the Revolutionary War, having served at battles of Lexington-Concord, Bunker Hill, Trenton, and Brandywine. At the end of the war he held a Major’s Commission. He settled in New York City, served as City Tax Collector, married and had several children. Also of interest is his son, Samuel Cooper, Jr., (1798-1876) who was the highest-ranking officer in the Confederate Army, serving as Adjutant and Inspector General. He was one of the few West Point Graduates that sided with the Confederacy. Samuel Cooper’s Eyewitness Account of the Boston Tea Party "The duty on tea gave great umbrage to the colonists generally and in Boston an association was formed in 1770 to drink no tea until the duty was repealed. This course was persisted in 1773 the arrival of 3 ships from England laden with tea caused great disgust." "No little excitement prevailed among the inhabitants of Boston, on account of the arrival of the ships laden with tea from England. Every effort was made to send these ships back but without success and it was soon evident that the tea would be landed unless some active measures were adopted by the citizens to prevent it. A town meeting was called on the afternoon of December 16, 1773 to devise measures for getting rid of this annoyance. At this meeting, which was held in the Old South Meeting House corner of Main and Milk Street, Jno. Hancock presided. A little before sundown an alarm was created among the assembled citizens by the cry of fire, which was suppose to be given by some of the British officers who had attended the meeting in citizen dress and had given the alarm for the purpose of breaking up the assembly. They had nearly effected this object when the town clerk, Wm. Cooper rose and in a loud voice told the citizens that there was no fire to be apprehended but the fire of the British and begged them to keep their plaices. Immediately after a detach’t of about 20 men disguised as Indians was seen to approach in single file by the west door of the Church. They marched with silent steps down the isle and so passed by the south door brandishing their tommahaws [sic – tomahawks] in that direction. The appearance of these men created some sensation. No one appeared to expect their arrival and the object of their visit seemed wholly inexplicable. On leaving the church, they proceeded in the same order in which they entered it, down Milk Street through that part of town which led to Gray’s and Tiletson’s wharves where the tea ships lay. Arrived at the wharves they divided into three troops each with a leader gained possession of the ships quietly and proceeded to lighten them of their cargo by hoisting out the boxes and emptying their contents into the dock. No noise was heard except the occasional clink of the hatchet in opening the boxes and the whole business was performed with so much expedition that before 10 o’clock that night the entire cargo of the three vessels were deposited in the docks. Many a wishful eye was directed to the piles of tea which lay in the docks and one poor fellow (5) who could not resist the temptation had filled the lining of his cloak with about a bushel of the plants. He was soon observed by the crowd and the process of lightening him of his burden was short. He was dragged a little distance on the wharf to a barrel and was soon furnished with a coat of tar and shavings." (Editor's Note: the following was contributed by Dr. Catherine N. Ball, Ph.D., Georgetown University, in April, 2006, who found Samuel Cooper's obituary in Marriage and Death Notices from Alexandria, Virginia Newspapers, vol. 2: 1838-1852, Wesley Pippenger, 2005, p. 68.) 01 SEP 1840, Tues, p. 3. Another Revolutionary Hero Gone! Died, on the 29th Aug. [i.e. 29 Aug 1840], at the residence of his son, Maj. S. Cooper of the U.S. Army, near Alexandria, D.C. Maj. SAMUEL COOPER, Sr., in the 84th year of his age, after several years of suffering which he bore with Christian resignation and fortitude. The deceased was an officer in our memorable struggle for Independence, and was an active participator in the trials as well as the glories of that eventful period. He was a witness at the famous Tea Affair in Boston, his native place -- was at the battles of Bunker Hill, Monmouth, and Brandywine, and most of the other important ones of the Revolutionary War. No greater [praise] could be offered to his memory, in this brief notice than that of his having possessed the friendship and confidence of his adored Chiefs, Washington and Lafayette. Known Participants in the Boston Tea Party Benjamin Thatcher, of Boston, compiled a list of fifty-eight known participants in the Boston Tea Party. This was accomplished in 1835, with seven of the participants still living who helped him prepare it. In 1884 Francis S. Drake, also of Boston, added fifty more names gleaned from family documents and oral traditions. Drake also tried to identify these men with their occupations and ages. Nathaniel Barber (3), 45, merchant Samuel Barnard, 36, occupation unknown Henry Bass (4), 34, merchant Edward Bates, age and occupation unknown Thomas Boulter, 38, housewright David Bradlee (6), 31, occupation unknown James Bradlee (6), 19, occupation unknown Nathaniel Bradlee (6), 27, occupation unknown Thomas Bradlee (6), 29, occupation unknown James Brewer, age unknown, pump maker Seth Ingersoll Brown, 23, house carpenter Stephen Bruce, age unknown, merchant Benjamin Burton, 24, occupation unknown Nicholas Campbell, 41, sailor George Carleton, age and occupation unknown Thomas Chase (3), age unknown, distiller Benjamin Clarke, 18, cooper’s apprentice John Cochran, 23, occupation unknown Gresham Collier, age and occupation unknown Adam Colson (4), 35, leather dresser James F. Condy (4), age unknown, bookseller S. Coolidge, age and occupation unknown Samuel Cooper, 18, cooper’s apprentice John Crane, 29, house carpenter Thomas Dana, age and occupation unknown Robert Davis, 26, importer of groceries and liquors Edward Dolbear, 18, cooper’s apprentice Joseph Eaton, age unknown, hatter Joseph Eayres, age unknown, housewright - Eckley, age unknown, barber Benjamin Edes (4), age unknown, printer William Etheridge, age unknown, mason Samuel Fenno, 28 ,housewright Samuel Foster, age and occupation unknown Nathaniel Frothingham, 27, coachmaker John Fulton (7), 30, occupation unknown John Gammell, 22, carpenter Samuel Gore, 22, house painter Moses Grant (4), 30, upholsterer John Greenleaf (4), age and occupation unknown Samuel Hammond, 24, farmer William Hendley, 25, mason George R. Hewes, 31, shoemaker John Hicks, 48, occupation unknown Samuel Hobbs, 25, tanner’s apprentice John Hooton, 18, oarmaker’s apprentice Samuel Howard, 21, shipwright Edward C. Howe, 31, ropemaker Jonathan Hunnewell, 14,(8) Richard Hunnewell, age unknown, mason Richard Hunnewell, Jr. ,16 (8) Thomas Hunstable, 20, occupation unknown Abraham Hunt, 25 ,wine merchant David Ingersoll, 23, housewright David Kennison, 37, farmer Joseph Lee, 28, merchant Amos Lincoln, 20, housewright apprentice Mathew Loring, 23, leather worker Joseph Lovering, 15, apprentice Thomas Machin, 29, laborer Ebenezer MacKintoch, 36, shoemaker Archibald McNeil, 23, occupation unknown John May, 25, occupation unknown - Mead, age and occupation unknown Thomas Melvill, 22, merchant’s clerk William Molineux (3), 57, merchant Thomas Moore, 20, operator of a wharf Anthiny Morse, age and occupation unknown Joseph Montford, 23, cooper Eliphalet Newell, age and occupation unknown Joseph P. Palmer, age unknown, hardware merchant Johathan Parker, age unknown, farmer Joseph Payson, 30, housewright Samuel Peck, age unknown, cooper John Peters, 41, occupation unknown William Pierce, 29, barber Lendall Pitts, 26, clerk of the market Thomas Potter, age unknown, merchant Henry Prentiss, 24, occupation unknown John Prince, 20, occupation unknown Edward Proctor (4), 40, importer Henry Purkitt, 18, cooper’s apprentice John Randall, 23, occupation unknown Paul Revere, 38, silversmith Joseph Roby, age and occupation unknown John Russell, age unknown, mason William Russell, 25, school teacher Robert Sessions, 21, laborer Joseph Shed, 41, carpenter Benjamin Simpson, 17, bricklayer’s apprentice Peter Slater, 14, ropemaker apprentice Samuel Spraque, 19, mason’s apprentice John Spurr, 25, occupation unknown James Starr, 32, occupation unknown Phineas Stearns, 37, farmer and blacksmith Ebenezer Stevens, 22, carpenter Elisha Story, 30, physician James Swan, 19, counting house clerk John Truman, age and occupation unknown Thomas Urann, age unknown, ship joiner Josiah Wheeler, 30, housewright David Williams, age and occupation unknown Ezekiel Williams, age 18, occupation unknown Isaac Williams, age and occupation unknown Jeremiah Williams, age unknown, blacksmith Thomas Williams, 19, apprentice Nathaniel Willis, 18, printer’s apprentice Joshua Wyeth, 25, apprentice Thomas Young, 41, physician Comments: The five men depicted below are all that we have found who had anything to do with the Boston Tea Party. Of the five, Samuel Adams, John Hancock and Paul Revere are well known. The other two are David Kennison, who was born November 17th 1736, in Old Kingston, Maine. He served throughout the entire war, and was badly wounded at Sackett’s Harbor, New York, during the war of 1812. He was interviewed by Benson Lossing in 1848, while living in Chicago, age 112! The last man is George Hewes, whose son was interviewed by Lossing. He was born in Boston, September 5th, 1742, and died in Richfield, Otsego County, New York. He served as a privateer in the early part of the War and later in the Army. At age 101 he attended the dedication of the Bunker Hill Monument was honored by all attending on June 17th, 1843. Notes: * (1) Medal struck as identification of members of the Sons of Liberty. Only a written description has survived. * (2) Logo of the Sons of Liberty Chapter, SAR * (3) Known member of the original Sons of Liberty * (4) Possible members of the original Sons of Liberty * (5) His name was Charles O’Conner * (6) All four Bradlee’s listed were brothers. * (7) Brother in law to the Bradlee’s * (8) Jonathan and Richard were the sons of Richard |