Biography
Uriah Tufts, born in Medford, became a Boston blacksmith whose family remembered him as a smith on the frigate Constitution.
“Uriah, s. Will[ia]m 4th and Susanah, Jan. 29, 1768.”
Vital Records of Medford, Massachusetts, to the Year 1850 (1907), p. 153. Page (Internet Archive)
“He was a blacksmith by trade, and for many years had a smithy on Constitution Wharf, Boston. He forged and drove the first bolts that were used in the construction of the famous frigate “Constitution.””
Cutter, Genealogical and Personal Memoirs, vol. II, p. 1199. Page (Internet Archive) (Scanned text; obvious scanning errors corrected.)
In 1800 he was admitted to the Massachusetts Charitable Mechanic Association, the society of Boston master craftsmen founded in 1795:
“Uriah Tufts, Blacksmith.”
Joseph T. Buckingham, Annals of the Massachusetts Charitable Mechanic Association (1853), p. 67. Page (Internet Archive), in the list of those admitted to membership in 1800
“A pitcher which he wrought in 1800 is owned by his granddaughter. It bears a significant coat-of-arms, and the motto: “By hammer and hand, all arts do stand.””
Cutter, Genealogical and Personal Memoirs, vol. II, p. 1199. Page (Internet Archive) (Scanned text; obvious scanning errors corrected.)
Cutter records that he died in Charlestown on October 22, 1837, and was buried in Malden.
Service Record
Town: Medford, Boston and Charlestown, Mass. · Dates: 1768–1837
Civil: member of the Massachusetts Charitable Mechanic Association from 1800 (Buckingham, p. 67). No military service found.
Family Connection
Father: William Tufts Jr. (1736–1782), “William 4th” in the Medford records. Mother: Susannah. Brother: Nathan Tufts Jr.. Grandfather: Lieut. William Tufts.
Children by Sarah Harris: Sarah; Elizabeth Lewis (b. March 10, 1792); William; and Uriah (1796–1860). By Mary Phillips: Mary (b. 1798), who married in Malden on January 29, 1818, her cousin William Tufts of Milton (Cutter, p. 1199).
Relatives with profiles on this site: father William Tufts Jr.; brother Nathan Tufts Jr.; grandfather Lieut. William Tufts; son Uriah Tufts (1796–1860); grandson William Tufts (1820–1893).
Spouse(s)
- Sarah Harris, born in Watertown May 16, 1764. Married July 8, 1789. Died September 11, 1797.
- Mary Phillips, born in Malden. Married November 30, 1797. Died in Charlestown, September 15, 1853 (Cutter, p. 1199).
Authoritative IDs / Index Numbers
| Source | ID / status |
|---|---|
| Perseus person index (auth=) | Note: Pending further work. |
| Find a Grave memorial | Note: Pending further work. |
| Brooks, History of Medford (1855) register no. | Note: Pending further work. |
| Mass. Soldiers and Sailors | Not yet checked for this page |
| DAR ancestor no. | Note: Pending further work. |
| FamilySearch ID | Note: Pending further work. |
| Geni profile | Note: Pending further work. |
| WikiTree ID | Note: Pending further work. |
| Town / vital records | Medford VRs not yet checked by volume and page |
Only IDs confirmed against dates and family are given as matches. “Not yet checked” means the source has not been searched; “Checked, not found” means it was searched without a match.
⚑ Unverified
The Constitution bolts: Cutter is the only source found for this family claim; the frigate’s building records have not been checked. Burial: no gravestone or Find a Grave memorial found. Uncle of the same name: Brooks (p. 550) and Cutter (p. 1199) list an older Uriah, son of Lieut. William Tufts and Catherine Wyman; he is a different man.
Links and Resources
Every source, record, map, survey, marker and artifact tied to this person, gathered in one place. Page numbers are given where a book is cited.
Digitized Books and Journals
- Vital Records of Medford, Massachusetts, to the Year 1850 (1907), p. 153. · Page (Internet Archive)
- Cutter, Genealogical and Personal Memoirs, vol. II, p. 1199. · Page (Internet Archive)
- Joseph T. Buckingham, Annals of the Massachusetts Charitable Mechanic Association (1853), p. 67. · Page (Internet Archive)