{"id":5605,"date":"2013-12-16T16:51:49","date_gmt":"2013-12-16T16:51:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.genealogybank.com\/?p=5605"},"modified":"2020-03-09T12:04:56","modified_gmt":"2020-03-09T16:04:56","slug":"my-revolutionary-roots-family-ties-to-the-boston-tea-party","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/my-revolutionary-roots-family-ties-to-the-boston-tea-party.html","title":{"rendered":"My Revolutionary Roots & Family Ties to the Boston Tea Party"},"content":{"rendered":"

Introduction<\/em><\/strong>: In this article\u2014written in celebration of the 240th<\/sup> anniversary of the Boston Tea Party\u2014Mary\u00a0Harrell-Sesniak tells the story of how one paragraph in an 1858 newspaper article provided the clue that led to one of her most satisfying genealogy moment<\/em>s. Mary is a genealogist, author and editor with a strong technology background.<\/em><\/p>\n

Researching your family history in old newspapers, such as GenealogyBank\u2019s Historical Newspaper Archives<\/a>, is a great way to fill in your family tree and find stories about your ancestors\u2019 daily lives. Sometimes the most astounding discoveries one finds in newspapers aren\u2019t about proving descent from an ancestor\u2014but instead, they\u2019re about finding your family\u2019s place in history.<\/p>\n

\"the<\/a>
Illustration: \u201cThe Destruction of the Tea at Boston Harbor\u201d by Nathaniel Currier. Credit: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Boston Tea Party of 1773<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been lucky to find more than my fair share of family history connected to important events in American history\u2014especially the American Revolution. There is one particular event that has always held a special fascination for me: the Boston Tea Party of 16 December 1773. This famous political protest, when demonstrators boarded three British ships and dumped chests of tea into Boston Harbor to protest the tax levied by the hated Tea Act, was one of the events that led to the American Revolutionary War.<\/p>\n

Many of the Boston Tea Party participants belonged to the \u201cSons of Liberty,\u201d who were despised by the British. Even into the early 1800s, many \u201csons,\u201d and even \u201cDaughters of Liberty,\u201d were afraid to disclose their secret support or participation in this group\u2014often taking that secret to their graves.<\/p>\n

Shortly after the Boston Tea Party, some of the Daughters of Liberty entered into a \u201cspirited\u201d resolve, declaring: \u201cThat the Destruction of the East India Tea, imported among us, is absolutely necessary for the Happiness of America.\u201d Knowing that their defiance of English law could be dangerous, they ended their resolution with the following declaration\u2014with tongue firmly in cheek:<\/p>\n

\u201cThat as hanging, drawing and quartering are the punishments inflicted by Law to Cases of High Treason, we are determined constantly to assemble at each other\u2019s Houses, to HANG the tea kettle, DRAW the Tea, and QUARTER the Toast.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"article<\/a>
Connecticut Courant (Hartford, Connecticut), 15-22 February 1774, page 3<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I admit my fascination with the Boston Tea Party is an unusual interest, because for a long time I couldn\u2019t uncover any family provenance connecting us to that eventful protest\u2014yet my interest remained keen.<\/p>\n

I knew all along there was more historical evidence to continue investigating. If you suspect your family had a connection to that event, be sure to review the list at the Boston Tea Party Ships & Museums<\/a> website. It unfortunately does not include any of my forebears, but perhaps you\u2019ll find someone in your tree.<\/p>\n

My Revolutionary War Ancestors<\/strong><\/p>\n

Although my past genealogical research hadn\u2019t been able to connect my family tree to the Boston Tea Party, my ancestors were<\/em> involved in the American Revolutionary War. Two of my Patriot ancestors that fought in the war were from the Wilder family:<\/p>\n