10. Abraham Tower

Tower was 21 years old and a member of the Cohasset Militia when he and 116 colonists dumped 342 chests of British East India Company Tea into the Boston Harbor on December 16, 1773.  Over 92,000 pounds of tea were destroyed. The Boston Tea Party was the first major political protest against Britain for imposing "taxation with representation" and directly led to the sparking of the American Revolution on April 19, 1775. Abraham was one of 14 children born to Daniel and Bethiah Tower. The family resided in the Second Precinct of Hingham (Cohasset). In the Revolutionary War, Tower was first a corporal and then became a sergeant. He was also a master shipbuilder, farmer, and fisherman with a fleet of fishing schooners and several large buildings at Cohasset Tower Wharf. His business existed until the 1920s.  Tower’s sister Persis was also actively involved in the American Revolution. See #19 Persis Tower.