Boston Tea Party Ancestry Research

A fateful night

On 16 December 1773, colonists in Massachusetts rebelled against taxation by the British Crown by raiding three ships belonging to the British East India Company docked in Boston Harbor and throwing hundreds of crates of tea overboard into the water. The event became known to history as the “Boston Tea Party,” and is today regarded as one of most important rebellions that led to the American Revolution.

Was your ancestor there?

The names of 116 participants in the Boston Tea Party are known. Many of these men left descendants who are living today. Could you be one of them?

In 2023, to honor the 250th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party, the Boston Tea Party Descendants Program was launched through a joint venture between the Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum and American Ancestors/New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS), both in Boston. Its purpose is to prove those individuals who were part of the Boston Tea Party and their descendants. Descendants of those who participated in, supported, or witnessed the Tea Party are eligible to join.

Find out

Whether you are interested in joining the Descendants Program or you are just curious about your ancestry, as an experienced genealogist located in the Boston area I can help you discover your Boston Tea Party roots:

  • Access to the premiere research facilities, including the American Ancestors/New England Historic Genealogical Society research library in Boston, the Massachusetts State Archives, and Massachusetts Historical Society;
  • Over 25 years of professional experience researching ancestral roots in Massachusetts, New England and beyond;
  • My genealogical research is trusted, and has been peer-reviewed and published, including in The NEHG Register and Mayflower Descendant.

Membership in the Boston Tea Party Descendants Program requires reliable genealogical documentation proving descent from any person who belonging to one of the following groups:

  • Boston Tea Party direct participants
  • The Loyal Nine
  • Boston Sons of Liberty
  • Signers of November 1773 petitions to town selectmen
  • North End Caucus
  • St. Andrew’s Lodge
  • Ship watch volunteers
  • Boston inhabitants in 1773

Once we establish your descent from a qualifying ancestor, I can prepare your application for membership in the Boston Tea Party Descendants Program.

Please contact me to get started.

Helpful links:

Image source: “Americans throwing the cargoes of the Teaships into the river, at Boston,” Library of Congress (https://www.loc.gov/resource/cph.3b53147/ : accessed 21 November 2024); citing W. D. cooper, The History of North America (London: E. Newberry, 1789), opp. p. 58.