According to Boston Tea Party historian Francis S. Drake in his 1884 book Tea Leaves, John Russell was one of the participants who destroyed the tea at Griffin’s Wharf on the night of December 16, 1773.
His son recalled seeing his father and their neighbor, Thomas Moore, smearing their faces before heading out toward the wharf.
It is believed that John Russell was a mason at the time of the Boston Tea Party and was a member of the Massachusetts Charitable Mechanics Association. This organization promoted the mechanical arts and provided financial support to the widows and families of deceased members. The association’s first president was fellow Boston Tea Party participant Paul Revere. Russell also joined the freemasons of St. Andrew’s Lodge in Boston’s North End, a branch known for its revolutionary membership. His son, Benjamin Russell, became a well-known journalist, founding the Columbian Centennial, and was a founding member of the American Antiquarian Society.
John Russell died in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1778.
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