Partnership with American Ancestors® Produces Groundbreaking Research in Prep for America’s 250th and Expands Boston Tea Party Descendants Program®
McGRATHPR.com – Today, on the 252nd anniversary of the Boston Tea Party, the Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum — dedicated to accurately interpreting a pivotal period in American history (1773–1775) — in partnership with American Ancestors®, the nation’s first and leading center for family history research, unveiled the first-ever officially vetted list of Boston Tea Party participants. This historic achievement marks a major milestone in the study of Revolutionary-era America.
A new plaque bearing the fully vetted names of these brave Patriots was revealed at the museum and placed on permanent display, honoring the individuals who took part in one of the most iconic protests in American history. To commemorate the anniversary, the Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum also offered free admission to the public for the day.
Dec 16, 2025 at Boston Tea Party Ships & Musuem. (L to R) Boston Tea Party Participants Descendants Nancy Smith & Elaine Hawkes (both Lincoln, MA), Joyce Bulger (Braintree, MA), Ashley Morin (White House Station, NJ) throwing tea. / image by Claire Vail Photography
A Historic First
“This legacy project, which began during the Boston Tea Party’s 250th anniversary in 2023, honors the Boston Tea Party participants as we approach America’s 250th anniversary in 2026. Until now, no comprehensive genealogical project has fully vetted the participants of the Boston Tea Party specifically,” said Shawn P. Ford, Executive Director of the Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum. “In Boston, and at our museum, ‘the single most important event leading up to the American Revolution’ is celebrated every day. This vetted list and new plaque permanently memorialize the courageous individuals who risked everything for the cause of liberty.”
Because many participants swore an oath of secrecy, compiling a complete list has remained elusive for generations. The newly vetted list represents the most thoroughly researched and well-documented roster to date, utilizing modern genealogical standards to evaluate Revolutionary-era evidence.
The list is organized into two categories:
- Boston Tea Party Participants – Men who were present aboard the ships destroying tea on December 16, 1773.
- Eyewitness to History – Individuals who were not aboard the ships
The new memorial plaque features names from both categories.
“History is personal,” said Ryan J. Woods, President and CEO of American Ancestors. “The Boston Tea Party participants and planners put themselves at great risk for their principles, and in doing so, they helped light the spark that ignited the Revolution. Their descendants honor their legacy by acknowledging the pivotal role their ancestors played in shaping the American experiment. These discoveries remind us that we are all descended from people whose everyday actions shaped history and created the world we live in today.”
The Boston Tea Party Descendants Program
The Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum has also partnered with American Ancestors to create The Boston Tea Party Descendants Program®, the first-ever digital archive and collaborative research platform dedicated to exploring the history of Boston Tea Party participants and their descendants.
Originally launched in March 2023, the program has been newly updated with additional research, genealogical profiles, and biographies for vetted and confirmed Boston Tea Party participants. Membership options vary based on qualifying ancestry and include Lineage Member, Eyewitness to History Member, and Co-Conspirator tiers.
Lineage Member and Eyewitness to History applications require genealogical documentation and are vetted by professional genealogists from American Ancestors. The Co-Conspirator tier is open to anyone interested in supporting the program and exploring the broader history of the Boston Tea Party and receive the program’s quarterly newsletter.
The program invites anyone with a documented family connection to a Tea Party participant to join this membership-based lineage society, with all research validated by experts at America’s oldest and largest genealogical organization. The Boston Tea Party Descendants Program seeks to build, preserve, and honor the legacy of those who participated in or witnessed the “single most important event leading up to the American Revolution.”
Membership Information
The initial application fee for the Boston Tea Party Descendants Program is $400, which includes processing, genealogical vetting, and — new this year — the first year of membership is included in the application fee.
Depending on the qualifying ancestor, accepted applicants may join one of the following tiers:
- Lineage Member – Descendants of verified Boston Tea Party Participants; the Loyal Nine; Boston Sons of Liberty; North End Caucus; St. Andrew’s Lodge; ship guard volunteers; or signers of the November 1773 petitions to town selectmen. Annual fee: $125.
- Eyewitness to History Member – Descendants of documented inhabitants of Boston in 1773 or eyewitnesses to the Boston Tea Party. Annual fee: $100.
- Co-Conspirator Member – Open to researchers, educators, and members of the public who wish to support the program. No application fee required. Annual fee: $75.
Applications may be submitted at bostonteapartyship.com/boston-tea-party-descendants. The vetting and approval process typically takes 6–8 weeks.
ABOUT BOSTON TEA PARTY SHIPS & MUSEUM
The Boston Tea Party, “the single most important event leading up to the American Revolution, occurred the night of Dec. 16, 1773. The Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum, owned and operated by Historic Tours of America, is dedicated to accurately reliving and representing a key time in history (1773-1775) through actors, tea throwing reenactments, high-tech interactive exhibits, authentic replica ships: the Beaver and the Eleanor, and an award-winning multisensory film, Let it Begin Here. The Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum is open 7 days/week from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. (Summer/Spring) and from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. (Fall/Winter). Tours run every 30 minutes in the fall/winter and every 15 minutes in the spring/summer and last 1 hr. Closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. The Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum was voted #1 ‘Best Patriotic Attraction’ in USA Today’s ‘10Best Readers’ Choice Awards 2016’; ‘Best New Museum’ in 2012 by Yankee magazine and ‘Best of the New 2012’ by Boston Globe Magazine. To learn more visit bostonteapartyship.com or call 1-855-(TEA)-1773. The Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum is located at 306 Congress St. on the Congress St. Bridge, Boston, MA 02210, over the same body of water where The Boston Tea Party took place.
ABOUT AMERICAN ANCESTORS
American Ancestors® is a national nonprofit center for family history, heritage & culture based in Boston, Massachusetts, that has been setting the gold standard for genealogical research since its founding in 1845. Today, American Ancestors serves 400K+ members and subscribers through AmericanAncestors.org, one of the world’s largest online collections of family history resources. In 2025, American Ancestors launched the Family Heritage Experience, an interactive, state-of-the-art exhibition that introduces visitors to the joy of family history research, located at 97 Newbury Street at our headquarters in Boston. American Ancestors is also home to the Wyner Family Jewish Heritage Center, which preserves New England’s Jewish history, and 10 Million Names, a project dedicated to finding the names of the enslaved men, women, and children in pre- and post-colonial America before emancipation. For more information, visit americanancestors.org.
Content originated by Loeber Communications
