Rep. King helps honor Indiana's only known Boston Tea Party participant

STATEHOUSE (July 30, 2026) – State Rep. Joanna King (R-Middlebury), along with The National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution and the Indiana Daughters of the American Revolution, recently honored William Tuffs as the only known Indiana resident to have taken part in the Boston Tea Party.

More than 100 people gathered at Bonneyville Cemetery in Elkhart County to honor Tuffs. The initiative to recognize all known Boston Tea Party participants began in 2018 through the Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum. To date, more than 120 commemorative markers have been placed at the graves of known Boston Tea Party participants buried in some of the nation's oldest cemeteries and other historic burial grounds. King said the commemorative plaques mark the final resting places for many brave people, including tradesmen and young adults, who participated in the "single most important event leading up to the American Revolution."

"It is remarkable to think that a man who helped shape the birth of our nation eventually made his home in Indiana and now rests here in Elkhart County," King said. "His journey reflects the story of America itself—from the crowded streets of colonial Boston to the growing communities of the expanding frontier. We are especially grateful to the dedicated historians and patriots who refused to let William Tuffs’ story be forgotten."

Tuffs was born on June 11, 1750, near Medford, Mass. At the time of the Boston Tea Party, he was assisting his father as an innkeeper. In an interview with the Goshen Democrat in 1840, Tuffs recounted his participation in the “destruction of the tea” on Dec. 16, 1773. He reportedly disguised himself by sticking feathers in his hat and smudging his face with paint. His job was to assist in lifting the chests from the cargo hold to the other participants waiting above deck.

In his final years, Tuffs settled in Elkhart County after traveling from Ohio with his son’s family. He lived with his granddaughter Eliza and her second husband, James Selderon, on their farm in Middlebury Township. Tuffs died on Sept. 5, 1847, in Middlebury.

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State Rep. Joanna King (R-Middlebury) represents House District 49,
which includes the eastern portion of Elkhart County.
Click here to download a high-resolution photo. 

PHOTO CAPTION 1: State Rep. Joanna King (R-Middlebury) (far right) honors William Tuffs on Saturday, July 25, 2026, at Bonneyville Cemetery in Elkhart County. Tuffs is the only known Indiana man to have taken part in the Boston Tea Party. Others pictured are (from left) State Sen. Blake Doriot (R-Goshen), Catherine Harris Reedy of the William Tuffs Chapter of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution, Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum Creative Manager Evan O'Brien, Boston Tea Party Representative Kristin Harris, and Boston Tea Party Historian Nicholas Fitzpatrick.

PHOTO CAPTION 2: State Rep. Joanna King (R-Middlebury) (far right) honors William Tuffs on Saturday, July 25, 2026, at Bonneyville Cemetery in Elkhart County. Tuffs is the only known Indiana man to have taken part in the Boston Tea Party. Others pictured are (from left) Sheila Parsons, Indiana Daughters of the American Revolution Historian and Elaine Sholty, Indiana Daughters of the American Revolution State Regent. 

PHOTO CAPTION 3: State Rep. Joanna King (R-Middlebury) (right) joins Sage Tousey (left) of Fishers to honor William Tuffs on Saturday, July 25, 2026, at Bonneyville Cemetery in Elkhart County. Tuffs is the only known Indiana man to have taken part in the Boston Tea Party.