Who Are the Pitcairners?

McCoy, Robert Frederick, Snell; Lareau, thePeerage.com. Robert Frederick McCoy was born on Pitcairn Island on March 30, 1873. He was the son of James Russell McCoy and Eliza Coffin Palmer Young. He injured his knee in a fall, and his death was the result of complications. Robert was buried on October 4, 1881, on Pitcairn Island.

McCoy, Samuel, thePeerage.com. Samuel McCoy was born on Pitcairn Island on October 23, 1826. He was the son of Daniel McCoy and Sarah Quintal. He married, first, Ruth Quintal, daughter of Arthur Quintal and Catherine McCoy, on September 19, 1858, on Norfolk Island. He later married Polly Christian, daughter of Fletcher Christian and Peggy Christian, on February 1, 1862, on Norfolk Island. He died on September 7, 1876, at age 49 on Norfolk Island. The children of Samuel McCoy and Ruth Quintal were Albinah Amelia McCoy, who was born on July 9, 1859, and died March 1, 1868; Sarah Mayland McCoy, who was born on December 29, 1860, and died November 14, 1862; and Samuel William McCoy, who was born on May 19, 1862, and died on August 23, 1862. The children of Samuel McCoy and Polly Christian were James Charles Russell McCoy, who was born on August 2, 1863, and died August 5, 1869; Harriette Ward McCoy, who was born on August 11, 1864, and died May 7, 1883; Nathaniel McCoy, who was born on May 8, 1866, and died on January 30, 1867; Thomas William McCoy, who was born on July 28, 1867, and died March 2, 1870; Jacob Christian McCoy, who was born on March 14, 1873; and Robert McCoy, who was born on September 11, 1876; and died on September 18, 1876.

McCoy, Sarah, thePeerage.com. Sarah McCoy was born on Pitcairn Island on July 23, 1824. She was the daughter of Daniel McCoy and Sarah Quintal. She died on May 9, 1833, at the age of 8 on Pitcairn Island.

McCoy, Sarah, Lareau; thePeerage. Sarah MeCoy was born on Pitcairn Island on November 16, 1843. She was the daughter of Matthew McCoy and Margaret Christian. She married Alphonso Driver Christian, son of Thursday October Christian and Mary Young, on December 21, 1864, on Pitcairn Island. She died on April 15, 1919, at age 75, from internal injuries suffered in an accident. She was buried on April 15, 1919, on Pitcairn Island. In 1859, Sarah was part of the first wave of returnees to Pitcairn from Norfolk Island. After the return, Sarah, who was the oldest child in the first wave, and her brother, James, were worried that the children would turn away from learning. They gathered together every book they could find on the Island, along with slates and pencils, and opened a school in Nobbs' former study. It had six or seven girls, and one boy. Sarah and James taught reading, writing, spelling and arithmetic. From December 21, 1864, Sarah's married name became Christian. The children of Sarah and Alphonso Driver Christian were Phillip Howland Christian, born October 11, 1865; Alice Helena Christian, born October 26, 1866, and died circa January 1918; Mary Beth Christian, born July 28, 1868; Gerard Robert Bromley Christian, born February 19, 1870, and died circa June 1919; Harry Albert Christian, born March 11, 1872, and died on the hangman's gallows of the goal in Suva, Fiji, in 1898; Dorcas Almira Christian, born December 26, 1873; Reuben Stanhope Christian, born August 28, 1875, and died October 17, 1893; Sarah Amy Balvin Christian, born on October 30, 1877; Mary Louisa Christian, born November 27, 1879; Elizabeth Jane Christian, born January 17, 1882; Augusta Ruth Lena Christian, born December 15, 1883, and died December 6, 1954; and William Lancy Christian, born June 19, 1886, and died April 24, 1960.

McCoy, Sarah Nettie, Lareau, thePeerage.com. Sarah Nettie McCoy was born on Pitcairn Island on February 18, 1876. She was the daughter of James Russell McCoy and Eliza Coffin Palmer Young. At age 50, she died on March 1, 1926, of heart trouble after a three-month illness, and was burned on Pitcairn Island. The child of Sarah and Henry Christian was Harry Albert Young, who was born on April 17, 1899, and died on June 23, 1984.

McCoy, Violet, Australasian Record 77, October 1, 1973, p. 22. Violet McCoy. "On July 19, 1973, at the age of fifty-nine years, Sister Violet McCoy passed suddenly to her rest. Vi was an Australian by birth and attended Avondale (college) for some years as a student. She married Floyd McCoy of Pitcairn Island in 1941, and shortly thereafter came to the island. Over the years she has contributed much to the church on Pitcairn and the island in general, and will be much missed. To her friends and two surviving sisters in Australia we offer our deepest sympathies. She sleeps in the Pitcairn Cemetery. - L. A. J. Webster."

McCoy Warrena, Australasian Record 67, October 14, 1963, p. 15. Warrena McCoy "Miss Warrena McCoy passed quietly to her rest on September 15, 1963, aged eighty-two years. As a girl she came with her parents from Pitcairn Island to Australia. For many years an active member of the South Brisbane church, she is remembered for her deeds of kindness in Dorcas service. Words of comfort were spoken both at the church and at the Mt. Thompson crematorium, Brisbane. To her relatives and friends we extend our sincere sympathy. - S. G. Wood."

McCoy, William, Lareau; thePeerage.com. William McCoy was born in 1763 at Ross-Shire, Scotland. He died on April 20, 1798, on Pitcairn Island. William McCoy and Teio (?) were associated circa 1789. He gained the rank of Able Seaman in the service of the Royal Navy, on board H.M.A.V. Bounty. Little is known of his early life, but he appears to have been an employee of a Scottish distillery at one point. McCoy was one of the last crewmen to sign on the Bounty. He and his friend, Quintal, enlisted together, and that may well have been a black day for the future of the ship. Quintal was truly the brutal bully, and McCoy was the provider of spirits. His record on the Bounty was less controversial than most. The only incident in which he was involved may well give a better picture of this man. Bligh, in one of his frequent attacks of vocal frustration, was furiously upbraiding the whole crew for a number of failings. Suddenly he pointed a pistol to the head of McCoy and threatened to shoot him for not paying attention. Apparently even his involvement in the mutiny was peripheral, although there is no question of his willingness to throw his lot in with Christian. It was in 1796 that McCoy used the skills he learned as a youngster, and it was that contribution which, as much as anything, led to the early troubles of the Pitcairn colony. He was the first to distill liquor on Pitcairn, making it from the sweet syrup of the ti tree root. It was this skill that killed him, for in a fit of delirium tremens, he lept to his death from a cliff in 1798. According to Bligh, he was 5'6" tall, fair complexion, light brown hair with a heavy beard, strong-made, a scar where he had been stabbed in the belly, and a small scar under his chin. He was heavily tattooed all over his body. (For the children of William McCoy and Teio (?), see "Teio (?)").

McCoy, William, thePeerage.com. William McCoy was born on Pitcairn Island in 1812. He was the son of Daniel McCoy and Sarah Quintal. He died on Pitcairn Island on February 17, 1849, from tetanus poisoning, unmarried. He was a strong opponent of Joshua Hill. He died of tetanus when a sliver of wood penetrated into the upper part of his foot.

McCoy, William, thePeerage.com. William McCoy was born on Pitcairn Island. He was the son of Matthew McCoy and Margaret Christian.

McCoy, Winifred Florence, Snell. Winifred Florence McCoy was born on Pitcairn Island on April 19, 1879. She was the daughter of James Russell McCoy and Eliza Coffin Palmer Young. Winifred was a nurse.

Menzies, Heather. Heather Menzies, known on Pitcairn as "Hubba," was living on Pitcairn Island in 2007, and was the fiancé of Kerry Young.

Micheli, Rita. Jon Hamilton, Melva Evans.  Rita Micheli was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and was the wife of Vincent Micheli, a trading ship captain who sailed among many of the South Seas islands out of Tahiti.  He was also a black pearl buyer from the island of Mangareva in the Gambier Islands.  Rita sometimes sailed with her husband on his ship, the Nautilus.  Vincent was always helpful and trustful of the Pitcairn people, providing food and other necessities to them, whether or not they could pay for them immediately.  He would let the Pitcairners know that they could pay when his ship called at the Island the next time.  In August of 1887, Rita accompanied Vincent on another of his trading voyages, and when the Nautilus called at Pitcairn on September 4, 1887, she and two other women, who were passengers on the ship, went ashore to live on the Island for some time.  It is thought that Rita was ill at the time, and that Vincent sent her ashore in the hope that the women of Pitcairn might help her to full recover of her health.  However, on October 11, 1887, Rita Micheli died, and was buried in the Island cemetery that is located high above the often monster Pacific Ocean waves that crash onto the Island.  At the time of her death, Rita Micheli was 23 years old.

Mills, Elizabeth, thePeerage.com. Elizabeth Mills was born in 1792 on Pitcairn Island. She was the daughter of John Mills and Vahineatua (?). She married, first, Matthew Quintal, son of Matthew Quintal and Tevarua (?), in 1811 on Pitcairn Island. She then married William Young, son of Edward Young and Toofaiti (?), in 1823, on Pitcairn Island. She died on November 6, 1883, on Pitcairn Island. Elizabeth Mills also went by the nick-name of Betsy. In 1800 she witnessed the murder of Matt Quintal by John Adams and Ned Young. From 1811, her married name became Quintal. From 1823, her married name became Young. She immigrated to Pitcairn Island arriving in 1864 from Norfolk Island.

Mills, John, thePeerage.com. John Mills was born on April 21, 1749, in Carnie by Huntly, Scotland. He was baptized on April 29, 1749. He died on September 20, 1793, at age 44 on Pitcairn Island. Mills gained the rank of Gunner's Mate in the service of the Royal Navy, on board H.M.A.V. Bounty. He and Vahineatua (?) were associated circa 1789 at Pitcairn Island. He was the oldest of the Bounty mutineers. His early history suggests a sadistic bully-boy. On H.M.S. Mediator, he was known to send midshipmen on fools' errands in order to steal their food. Mills was indeed a mystery. His record on board the Bounty was exemplary. The only log record against him records his refusal to dance, which cost him his ration of grog. He was apparently a guard to the party that arrested Bligh during the mutiny. His daughter indicated that he was the Pitcairner who most grieved at the destruction of the Bounty, which had been their home for so long. Until that time, and even up to his death, he never quite gave up the hope that he would someday return to England, even if it had to be at the risk of his own life. Mills, of all the mutineers, can be said to have made a fatal, and perhaps very wrong, choice, a choice he lived to regret. His short life on Pitcairn, however, was well above average. He was truly surprised when attacked by the Tahitian men, as he felt he had a good relationship with them. The children of John Mills and Vahineatua (?) were Elizabeth Mills, who was born in 1792, and died November 6, 1883; and John Mills, who was born in 1793, and died in 1814.

Mills, John, thePeerage.com. John Mills was born on Pitcairn Island in 1793. He was the son of John Mills and Vahineatua (?). He died in 1814 on Pitcairn Island. Johnny came to his death by an awful fall from a high, rocky cliff, where he had gone in search of bird's eggs. His injuries were such that he died before he could be conveyed to his home.

Minarii (?), thePeerage.com. Minarii (?) was born on Tahiti. He died circa 1793, on Pitcairn Island. Minarii (?) and Mareva (?) were associated.

Moresby, Fairfax. (source?) Rear Admiral Sir Fairfax Moresby, K.C.B., K.M.T., D.C.L, who was the Commander in Chief of Her Majesty’s naval forces in the Pacific, visited Pitcairn Island as the result of a letter sent to him by 14 Pitcairn women. So impressed was he with the Pitcairn people that he became a constant benefactor to them thereafter, at one time heading a fund-raising campaign in their behalf in Great Britain. Moresby made sure that as far as possible all warships under his command made calls at Pitcairn Island during their tours of duty in the Pacific Ocean.

Neborom (?), thePeerage.com. It is thought that Neborom (?) was born in Cambodia, and that she and Victor Young were the parents of Chester Young who was born on Pitcairn Island..

Niau (?), thePeerage.com. Niau (?) was born on Tahiti. He died circa 1793 on Pitcairn Island. Niau (?) and Mareva (?) were associated.

Nicodemo (?), thePeerage.com. Nicodemo (?) was born on Mangareva, the Gambier Islands. He married Selina Isabella Coffin, daughter of Philip Cook Coffin and Mary Jane Florence Warren, in 1903 on Pitcairn Island. The child of Nicodemo (?) and Selina Isabella Coffin was Selina Agnes Coffin.

Nield, David, thePeerage.com. David Nield married Rosalind Amelia Young, daughter of Simon Young and Mary Buffett Christian, on November 27, 1907, in Auckland, New Zealand. Nield was a clergyman. After his wife’s death, David oversaw a New Zealand reprint of her book, Mutiny of the Bounty and Story of Pitcairn Island, which had originally been published in the United States in 1894.

Nobbs, Alfred Augustine, Australasian Union Conference Record 10, Dec. 3, 1906, p. 7; Snell. Alfred Augustine Nobbs was born on Pitcairn Island on November 27, 1846. He was the son of George Hunn Nobbs and Sarah Christian. On August 23, 1868, he married Mary Emily Christian on Norfolk Island. He died on Norfolk Island on September 28, 1906. (For the children of Alfred and Mary Emily Christian, see "Mary Emily Christian").

Nobbs, Ann Naomi, Snell. Ann Naomi Nobbs was born on Pitcairn Island on July 4, 1838. She died September 27, 1931, on Norfolk Island. Her parents were George Hunn Nobbs and Sarah Christian. On Decmeber 25, 1857, she married Caleb Quintal on Norfolk Island. (For the children of Ann and Caleb Quintal, see "Caleb Quintal").

Nobbs, Esther Maria, Snell. Esther Maria Nobbs was born on Pitcairn Island on August 30, 1832. Her parents were George Hunn Nobbs and Sarah Christian. On December 25, 1848, Esther married Abraham Blatchly Quintal on Pitcairn Island. She died on July 23, 1910 on Norfolk Island. (For the children of Esther and Abraham Blatchly Quintal, see "Abraham Blatchly Quintal").

Nobbs, Fletcher Christian, Snell. Fletcher Christian Nobbs was born on Pitcairn Island on September 1, 1833. He was the son of George Hunn Nobbs and Sarah Christian. On June 20, 1853, he married Susan Quintal, who was born on Pitcairn Island on November 5, 1833, and died February 18, 1917, on Norfolk Island. She was the daughter of Edward Quintal and Dinah Adams. Fletcher Christian Nobbs died on Norfolk Island on March 3, 1912. (See Quintal, Susan, for the names of the children of Fletcher Christian Nobbs and Susan Quintal.)

Nobbs, Francis Mason, Snell. Francis Mason Nobbs was born on Pitcairn Island on September 7, 1835. He was the son of George Hunn Nobbs and Sarah Christian. On December 25, 1856, he married Harriet Augusta Quintal on Norfolk Island. He died on June 15, 1900, on Norfolk Island. (For the children of Francis and Harriet Augusta Quintal, see "Harriet Augusta Quintal").

Nobbs, George Edwin Coffin, Snell. George Edwin Coffin Nobbs, was born on Pitcairn Island on May 5, 1843. He was the son of George Hunn Nobbs and Sarah Christian. He died on September 5, 1864, at the age of 21 on Te Mutu Island, killed by natives' poisoned arrows. George was a missionary with the Melanesian Mission in Santa Cruz Island.

Nobbs, George Hunn, Snell. George Hunn Nobbs was born October 16, 1799, at Moira, Northern Ireland. On October 18, 1829, on Pitcairn Island he married Sarah Christian, who had been born on Pitcairn Island in 1810. Her parents were Charles Christian and Sarah. The children of George and Sarah were Reuben Elias Nobbs, born on Pitcairn on September 19, 1830, and died March 2, 1855, on Pitcairn Island; Esther Maria Nobbs, Fletcher Christian Nobbs, Francis Mason Nobbs, Jane Agnes Nobbs, Ann Naomi Nobbs, James Wingate Johnstone Nobbs, George Edwin Coffin Nobbs, who was born on Pitcairn Island on May 5, 1843, and died on September 5, 1864, on Santa Cruz Island; Jemima Sarah Nobbs, Alfred Augustine Nobbs, Sydney Rawdon Nobbs, and Alice Henrietta Florence Nobbs. George Hunn Nobbs was the unacknowledged son of Francis Rawdon, Marquis of Hastings, and Jemima French, daughter of an Irish baronet, who, becoming involved in the Irish revolution, was forced to leave his country. On his mother's deathbed, she extracted from George a solemn promise never to accept any favor at the hands of his father's family. Moreover, she was very anxious that he leave England and take up residence in some other part of the world where 'her wrongs and mine might be buried in oblivion.' His mother and grandmother, suffering a serious reduction in circumstances, sent him to Yarmouth into the care of an elderly family named Nobbs, whose name they forced him to assume. She had arranged with Admiral Murray, commanding in North Yarmouth, to put him aboard a Royal Navy ship, and in 1812, he was placed aboard the 'Roebuck,' then to other ships. After his service to the Royal Navy, which led him to Valparaiso, he appears to have embarked on a career as a soldier of fortune, serving in both the Argentinian and Chilean navies. In 1822, he was serving on a Neapolitan vessel, and the next year found him in Sierra Leone, where he was commanding a ship named the Gambia. By 1826, he was in Calcutta. His adventures were harrowing, according to his own narrative, and he apparently survived shipwreck, capture by the enemy, and the deaths of many of his shipmates. He described his early life as 'filled with enough incidents to enliven three Hentys and four Rider Haggards' (adventure writers of his day). On November 5, 1828, Nobbs arrived on Pitcairn, at age 28, accompanied by a mysterious American shipmate, ' 'Captain' Noah Bunker. They came from Callao in an 18-ton cutter after a six- week voyage. Nobbs was never very explicit about the circumstances, but it appears that Nobbs entered into an agreement with Bunker wherein Nobbs would supply the money with which to outfit Bunker's boat, and they agreed to make the 3,500-mile trip to Pitcairn together. Later investigation seems to indicate that the title to the cutter was more than a little in question. Although not popular with the islanders immediately after his arrival, Nobbs seems to have impressed them with an advanced level of devoutness. His religiosity, according to his critics, seems to have had little precedent in his life before his arrival! Further, his increasing religious leadership was undermining the power of Buffett, the schoolteacher. When, upon Adams death in 1829, Nobbs established a separate school, Buffett quit teaching in disgust. The period from 1829-1832 seems to have witnessed a growing division between followers of the impudent and increasingly devout Nobbs and the practical, strong-willed Buffett. The arrival of Joshua Hill in 1832 marked the beginning of a very trying period in the lives of Nobbs, Buffett, and Evans. Realizing that these three would be the most threatening to his plans and beliefs, Hill singled them out for special humiliation and punishment. The 'quiet, devout' Pastor Nobbs was not considered by the bombastic preacher, Hill, to be a serious challenge, and he soon replaced him as Pastor. The ill-treatment that the three endured reached a climax when they were forced to leave the island in March of 1834, on board the Tuscan. They were carried to Tahiti, where Nobbs appears to have traveled to Mangareva to serve there as a missionary. He was later reunited with his family, and they later ended up in the Gambier Islands with Evans and his family. They were not able to return to Pitcairn until after Hill's forced departure in 1837. Ironically, it was pressure by his 'quiet, devout' rival that forced the English government to remove Hill. Nobbs returned as Pastor, fully consolidating his position vis-à-vis Buffett, who concentrated on his teaching and woodworking until his later call to religious leadership on Norfolk. He was the first islander to be formally trained in the ministry. He sailed to England with Moresby in 1852, to attend seminary. Within two months, he had qualified for ordination as deacon and priest, and was commissioned by the Bishop of London as 'Chaplain of Pitcairn Island.' After being entertained by many notables, he was received by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. Loaded down with portraits of the Royal Family and a per annum of 50 pounds from the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, he returned to Pitcairn in triumph in 1853. He was a Clergyman.

Nobbs, Harriett Augusta, thePeerage.com. (See "Harriett Augusta Quintal").

Nobbs, Jacob Dyas, Snell; Lareau; thePeerage.com. Jacob Dyas Nobbs was born on Pitcairn Island on November 7, 1853. His parents were Fletcher Christian Nobbs and Susan Quintal. He died on Pitcairn Island between November 7 and 14, 1853.

Nobbs, James Wingate Johnstone, Snell. James Wingate Johnstone Nobbs was born on Pitcairn Island on September 22, 1839. He was the son of George Hunn Nobbs and Sarah Christian. On Mary 21, 1858, on Norfolk Island he married Isabella Emily Christian who was born on Pitcairn Island on December 13, 1839, and died on Norfolk Island on February 10, 1895. The children of James Wingate Johnstone Nobbs and Isabella Emily Christian were Eleanor Jane Sophia Nobbs, Norah Leonora Nobbs, Maurice Hastings Nobbs, Andrew Edwin Nobbs, who was born on Norfolk Island on June 19, 1864; Edgar Meade Nobbs, Sarah Esther Nobbs, Horace Nobbs, Emily Gladdis Nobbs, Henry Alden Nobbs, Alice Abigail Nobbs, Joseph Atkin Nobbs, and Mary Edith Nobbs, who was born on Norfolk Island on July 9, 1883.

Nobbs, Jane Agnes, Snell. Jane Agnes Nobbs was born on Pitcairn Island on October 6, 1836, and died on Norfolk Island on April 21, 1926. She was the daughter of George Hunn Nobbs and Sarah Christian. On August 25, 1861, on Norfolk Island she married John Quintal. (For the children of Jane and John Quintal, see "John Quintal").

Nobbs, Jemima Sarah, thePeerage.com. Jemima Sarah Nobbs was born on Pitcairn Island on May 13, 1845. She was the daughter of George Hunn Nobbs and Sarah Christian. She married Gilbert Edwin Christian, son of Charles Christian and Charlotte Quintal, on June 19, 1864, on Norfolk Island. She died on January 14, 1920, at age 74, on Norfolk Island. From June 19, 1864, her married name became Christian. The child of Jemima and Gilbert Edwin Christian was Edwin Christian, born August 7, 1865, and died August 31, 1933.

Nobbs, Kathleen Laura, Lareau; thePeerage.com. Kathleen Laura Nobbs was born on Pitcairn Island on December 20, 1854. She was the daughter of Fletcher Christian Nobbs and Susan Quintal. She married Joseph Allen McCleave Buffett, son of John Buffett and Elizabeth Young, on November 27, 1873, on Norfolk Island. She died on June 1, 1930, at age 75, on Norfolk Island. From November 27, 1873, her married name became Buffett. (For the children of Kathleen and Joseph Allen McCleave Buffett, see "Joseph Allen McCleave Buffett").

Nobbs, Reuben Elias, Snell. Reuben Elias Nobbs was born on Pitcairn Island on September 19, 1830. He was the son of George Hunn Nobbs and Sarah Christian. He died on March 2, 1855, on Pitcairn Island. In 1847, he survived a serious injury, although he was from that point lame in one leg. He, in company with several others, went goat hunting. He fell, and his gun discharged into his right hip. After long months wherein little improvement took place, a surgeon from a passing ship extracted much wadding which had been embedded in the wound. After that, recovery was rapid, but his lameness prevented his participation in the work of the island. In 1849, he traveled to Valparaiso (Chile) where he took employment as a clerk. His health declined, and he became very ill with consumption, so he returned to his homeland. Kind hands carried him from the landing to his home when he returned, for he was universally beloved.