Hezekiah was the captain of the SS Beaver. Built in 1772 her maiden voyage was to deliver a load of whale oil to England. For a return cargo they contracted to carry 112 chests of British East India Company tea to Boston.
They docked in Boston on Wednesday, December 15, 1773. This was unfortunate as that made the Beaver one of three ships in the harbor which became targets for the midnight raid that eventually became known as the Boston Tea Party.
About a hundred or so men disguised as Indians boarded the ships as a thousand or more watched from the docks.
The protest was not one of violence. On the Beaver, Captain Coffin told the boarding party that he carried other cargo in addition to the tea and asked that it not be damaged. The raiders agreed. Coffin sent a man into the hold to point out the tea. The chests were hoisted to the deck. They used axes to break the chests open and tossed them overboard.
The Tax on Tea. The Tax on Tea. The "History of North Brookfield Massachusetts. Preceded by an account of old Quabaug, Indian and English occupation, 1647-1676; Brookfield records, 1686-1783". by J. H. Temple. Published by the town of North Brookfield 1887. Pages 225 & 226.
1741 - 1779 (37 years)
