Tracing Swan Point Cemetery’s Connection to the Boston Tea Party
Twenty-four-year old John Spur took part in the rebellious act before settling in Rhode Island.
Photograph by Wolf Matthewson
On the night of Dec. 16, 1773, more than one hundred Colonists dressed as Native Americans swarmed Griffin’s Wharf and dumped forty-six tons of tea into Boston Harbor. Among them was John Spurr, a twenty-four-year-old carpenter from Dorchester who would later move to Rhode Island and be buried in Swan Point Cemetery. Kristin Harris, research coordinator at the Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum, says Tea Party participants can be difficult to track down, as the first primary account of the event wasn’t published for more than five decades. “Once that came out, then other people started coming forward with their stories that had been kept secret for many, many years,” she says. Earlier this year, the museum placed commemorative markers at the graves of Spurr and another Rhode Island participant buried in Warren. The markers are part of a larger celebration of the event’s 250th anniversary that will culminate in a reenactment in Boston on Dec. 16. Jonathan Lane, a historian and Lincoln resident helping to head up the events, has his own connection to the fateful night: His ancestor, William Breck, was a member of the Sons of Liberty, the Revolutionary band backing the protest. “At a very early age, you start hearing family stories of people who participated in these moments that changed the world,” he says. “For my grandmother, being able to pass on the stories to her grandchildren was supremely important.” To leave their own mark on the historic celebrations, supporters are invited to donate loose-leaf tea to be dumped (ceremoniously, of course) into Boston Harbor next month. Donations of tea can be mailed by Dec. 1 to Boston Tea Party 250th Anniversary, Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum, 306 Congress St., Boston, MA 02210.
