Robert Davis was an importer of goods, a merchant, and a leather dresser, living on Orange Street in Boston, Massachusetts, when he participated in the Boston Tea Party on December 16, 1773.
Robert’s brother, Amasa Davis, also took part in the “destruction of the tea”.
As a successful businessman, Robert assisted both of his brothers (Caleb and Amasa) and other family members before and after the Revolutionary War with mortgages on various properties. He joined the Freemasons at the Lodge of St. Andrews in 1777.
Robert served in Colonel Joseph Vose’s regiment from January 1777 to April 1779. Commissioned first as a lieutenant, he eventually rose to the rank of Major. He would encamp at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, and fought in the Battle of Rhode Island. In 1786, he became a member of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company, currently the oldest military organization in America.
Robert Davis died on November 8, 1798, in Boston, Massachusetts. He is buried at the Central Burying Ground in Boston.
Sign up to receive special offers, discounts and news on upcoming events.