by The Sons of Liberty Chapter of the SAR
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: