List of Participants

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List of Participants in the Boston Tea Party

Who dumped the tea overboard on December 16, 1773?

The names of those who destroyed the tea during the Boston Tea Party were veiled in secrecy for years afterwards. Participants in the destruction of the tea swore themselves to secrecy and did not acknowledge each other even when boarding the ships, breaking open the chests and dumping the tea. Had their names become known to British authorities, they would have been arrested and punished. Even years later, some retained secrecy for fear of lawsuits possibly being brought by the British East India Company. Some of the participants' families had become well to do and were not proud of identifying with this act of "civil disobedience," although today it is seen as one of the most significant acts leading to the American colonies' break with Great Britain.

Researcher Charles Chauncy Wells compiled the following list using a variety of sources, including the Boston Tea Party Chapter, Daughters of American Revolution; the 1973 Boston Globe 200th Anniversary Boston Tea Party Special Section; the book Tea Leaves by Francis S. Drake, published in 1884. We thank him for generously sharing his research with us.

Abbreviations and Notes:

Number following each name is the age at time of Boston Tea Party, when known.
MCMA – Massachusetts Charitable Mechanics Association – Founded in 1795, this was a group of Boston tradesmen, merchants and craftsmen.
Mason – belonged to a lodge of Freemasons.

Participants in Boston Tea Party

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, , (1813?), early revolutionary, buried at Granary Burying Ground, Tomb 184.
Joseph Bassett - Capt. Rev Army
Edward Bates
Adam Beals Jr.
Thomas Bolter - 38, , Capt. Rev Army, buried at Central Burying Ground, Tomb 41.
David Bradlee - 31, , Capt. Rev Army, Mason (St. Andrew’s Lodge), buried at Central Burying Ground, Tomb 85.
Josiah Bradlee - 19, , buried at Central Burying Ground, Tomb 85.
Nathaniel Bradlee - 27, , 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, , Bunker Hill, buried at Granary Burying Ground, exact location unknown.
Stephen Bruce - Mason, died 1801.
Benjamin Burton - 24, , Maj. Rev Army.
Nicholas Campbell - 41, .
George Carleton
Thomas Chase – 36, , early revolutionary, Mason (St. Andrew’s Lodge), buried at Granary Burying Ground.
Nathaniel Child
Benjamin Clark - MCMA, died 1840. (Three sons may have been in Tea Party also.)
Jonathan Clark - Sgt. Rev Army.
John Cochran - 24, .
Gilbert Colesworthy - 29, .
Gersham Collier, - Mason, died 1825.
Adam Collson - 35, , 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, , 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, , 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- .
John Gammell – 22, , revolutionary war soldier, buried at Central Burying Ground, Tomb 211.
Eleazer Gay
Thomas Gerrish
Samuel Gore – 22, , MCMA, Mason, buried at Granary Burying Ground, Tomb 131.
Moses Grant - 30, , MCMA.
Nathaniel Greene - early revolutionary, MCMA.
Timothy Guy
Samuel Hammond - 24, .
Peter Harrington
William Haskins
William Hendley - 25, , Mason.
George Robert Twelves Hewes - 31, , shoemaker, left diary of Tea Party.
John Hicks - 48, , killed April 19, 1775 at Arlington by British retreating from Battles of Lexington-Concord.
Samuel Hobbs - 23, .
John Hooton – Sgt. Rev Army.
Elisha Horton
Elijah Houghton
Samuel Howard (born Hayward) - died 1797.
Edward Compton Howe - 31, , buried at Central Burying Ground, Tomb 87.
Jonathan Hunnewell - 14, , First president MCMA.
Richard Hunnewell - 36, , Mason, MCMA.
Richard Hunnewell, Jr. – 16, 1757- ?
Thomas Hunstable - 20, 1753 - ?, Mason.
Abraham Hunt - 25, , Col. Rev Army, Valley Forge.
Daniel Ingersoll - 23, , Mason.
Daniel Ingoldson
Charles Jameson
Robert Jameson - Capt. Rev Army
Jared Joy
Robert Lash
Amariah Learned
Joseph Lee – 28, , Capt. Rev Army, Mason, buried at Granary Burying Ground, Tomb 125.
Nathaniel Lee - Capt. Rev Army
Amos Lincoln – 20, , Lt. Col. Rev Army, Bunker Hill, married 2 daughters of Paul Revere, MCMA, Mason.
John Locke - Sgt. Rev Army
Matthew Loring - 23, , buried at Granary Burying Ground, Tomb 75
Joseph Lovering - 15, , MCMA.
Joseph Ludden - Sgt. Rev Army
David Lyon
Thomas Machin - 29, , Capt. Rev Army, Bunker Hill, Mason.
Ebenezer MacIntosh - 36, , early revolutionary.
Peter McIntosh
Archibald MacNeil - 23, .
John Marston - Bombadier Rev Army.
Martin, probably Wm. P. MCMA.
Thompson Maxwell - 31, , LT. Rev Army, Concord, Bunker Hill.
John May – 25, , Col. Rev Army, buried at Central Burying Ground, Tomb 131.
Mead, probably John - MCMA.
Henry Mellius
Thomas Melville - 22, , Maj. Rev Army, early revolutionary, Mason, MCMA.
Aaron John Miller - Dr. Rev Army
James Mills
William Molineaux - 57, , hardware merchant, early revolutionary, buried at Granary Burying Ground, Tomb 19.
Francis Moore
Thomas Moore - 20, , buried at Granary Burying Ground, Tomb 197.
Anthony Morse - LT. Rev Army
Joseph Mountfort - 23, , 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, , Lexington, Bunker Hill.
William Pierce - 29, , barber, MCMA, buried at Granary Burying Ground, Tomb 184.
Isaac Pitman -Capt. Rev Army
Lendall Pitts - 26, , early revolutionary, MCMA.
Samuel Pitts - 28, 1745-?, early revolutionary.
Thomas Porter - died 1800.
Henry Prentiss -24, , Capt. Rev Army, MCMA, Mason.
Nathaniel Prentiss, ??? probably 1626 (N. S. Prentiss).
Rev. John Prince - 22, , Mason, (later said he was a witness and not a Tea Party participant)
Edward Procter - 40, , Col. Rev Army, early revolutionary, Mason.
Henry Purkitt - 18, , 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, , 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, , Sgt.-Major. Rev Army, Mason.
John Sawtelle
George Sayward
Edmund Sears -Capt. Rev Army
Robert Sessions - 21, , LT. Rev Army.
Joseph Shed - 41, , buried at Granary Burying Ground, Tomb 69.
Benjamin Simpson - soldier, died 1849.
Peter Slater, Jr. - 14, , Capt. Rev Army.
Samuel Sloper
Ephriam Smith
Josiah Snelling - MCMA, died 1873.
Thomas Spear - died 1789.
Samuel Sprague – 19, , Sgt. Rev Army, MCMA, buried at Central Burying Ground, Tomb 5.
John Spurr - 25, , Maj. Rev Army.
James Starr - 32, .
Phineas Stearns - 32, , Capt. Rev Army Lexington, Dorchester Hts.
Ebeneezer Stevens (Gen. Rev Army), 22, Revolution + War of 1812, died 1823.
James Stoddard
Elisha Story - 30, , Dr. Rev Army, Lexington, Bunker Hill.
James Swan – 19, , Col. Rev Army, Bunker Hill, Mason.
Abraham Tower - Sgt. Rev Army
Bartholomew Trow – 37, , 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, , blacksmith, Mason.
Josiah Wheeler – 30, , Capt. Rev Army, Dorchester Hts., buried at Central Burying Ground, Tomb 109.
John Whitehead -LT. Rev Army
David Williams – 14, , buried at Granary Burying Ground, probably Tomb 62.
Isaac Williams
Jeremiah Williams
Thomas Williams - 19, , Sgt. Rev Army, Lexington.
Nathaniel Willis - 18, , MCMA.
Joshua Wyeth - 16, 1757-after 1827, Revolutionary soldier.
Thomas Young – 41, , Dr. Rev Army, early revolutionary, Army svc.

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