The brave men who in 1773 dumped tea into the Boston Harbor to protest British taxes boldly stood up to injustice and tyranny. Two Newtonians, Obadiah Curtis and Michael Jackson, were recently honored for the 250th anniversary of the Tea Party.
Mayor Ruthanne Fuller and officials from the Boston Tea Party Ships & Museums and Revolution 250 joined Historic Newton for a ceremony to place commemorative markers on the graves of Curtis and Jackson at the East Parish Burying Ground.
The Boston Tea Party took place on December 16, 1773 as a protest against British taxes on imported tea. In the months leading up to Patriots dumping tea in the Boston Harbor, Newton, known at the time as the Town of Newtown, supported the Revolutionary cause at its town meetings. One of its resolutions on January 19, 1773 that stated “no good Man can be silent, or inactive, in the cause of Liberty.” See a transcription of key meeting activities.
While no official count exists, it is believed that well over 100 men participated in the Boston Tea Party. Obadiah Curtis has appeared on multiple lists of Tea Party participants. Michael Jackson’s story was mostly unknown to the public until his descendants recently shared information that helped us determine that he, too, participated.
At the ceremony, Evan O’Brien, Creative Manager of the Boston Tea Party Ships & Museums, noted, “There has always been an air of mystery and secrecy surrounding who was involved in the destruction of the tea. After all, in the eyes of the British authority it was a treasonous act. In the years afterwards, the event was not celebrated, certainly not in the way we do today. In fact the term “Boston Tea Party” was not published until 1826. Many of the participants swore an oath of secrecy to never reveal the names of those involved.”
O’Brien shared biographical details about Jackson and Curtis, both of whom lived in Newton in the 18th century.
MICHAEL JACKSON:
Michael Jackson was born in Newton in 1734 and was 39 years old when the Boston Tea Party took place. A member of the extended family of Jacksons who once owned the Jackson Homestead, he joined the militia at a young age and was a career soldier from 1758 onward. He fought in the French and Indian War. After the war, he belonged to the Minutemen of Newton, but otherwise retired to private life with his wife and family.
In March of 1773, with news of the tea act reaching Massachusetts and the other North American colonies, Michael was put on a committee to “confer with the inhabitants of the town, as to the expediency of leaving off buying, selling, or using any East India Tea.” Several sources within the family that have him marked as a participant in the Boston Tea Party. A letter from his son to another family member dated May 7, 1823 states, “He was one of those who under a disguise of Indian dress, destroyed the tea in Boston at the commencement of the Revolution.”
Michael went on to serve in the American Revolution, along with four of his sons, and became colonel of the 8th Massachusetts Infantry.
OBADIAH CURTIS:
Curtis was 49 years old on December 16, 1773. He was a merchant and wheelwright operating out of Bromfield’s Lane in Boston.
Prior to the destruction of the tea, he was very active in the town. He was among the list of merchants who sold tea in Boston and he, along with dozens of other merchants were asked to stop selling tea until the Tea Act was repealed.
It is said that Curtis kept some tea leaves as a souvenir of his involvement in the Boston Tea Party and he would show the leaves to his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. However, it seems these tea leaves were lost around 1974–just after the bicentennial of the Boston Tea Party.
During the occupation and siege of Boston, Curtis relocated to Providence, RI, but eventually resettled in Newton. He and his wife, Martha, were able to buy a large home and remained in Newton for the remainder of his life.
The Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum is working with Revolution 250 to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party in 2023 with a year-long series of events, commemorations, performances, exhibits, reenactments, and educational initiatives. Their goal is to place a commemorative marker at the grave of every known Boston Tea Party participant by the 250th anniversary in December of 2023. Learn more about Boston Tea Party history here.
