John Buffett (Sen) and others : Diary

The diary commences on 8 Jun 1856, the day of his arrival at Norfolk Island. It is kept in a yearbook from Norfolk's convict era, which Buffett apparently found in one of the abandoned buildings at Kingston. There is a gap between Sep 1860 and Mar 1868, when Buffett returned to Pitcairn, and between Oct 1872 and Oct 1875. After 1879, other hands appear in the writing, and the death of Buffett is recorded in 1891. Records shipping, births, marriages, deaths, weather, whale hunting and other events. Also includes hymn texts, a description of a dream, the laws and regulations of Pitcairn, recipes, poems, copies of letters and Commissariat details.

John Buffett arrived on Pitcairn Island in the whaler `Cyrus' in 1823. He married Dorothy Young, daughter of Midshipman Edward Young, a `Bounty' mutineer. In 1856 Buffett moved to Norfolk Island with 193 other Pitcairners on the ship `Morayshire'.

Quantity: 1 microfilm reel(s).

Finding Aids: Full description in inventory, also "Complete annotated catalogue" (Canberra: PMB, 1991) which has an index.

Provenance: Donor/Lender/Vendor - Supplied by Pacific Manuscripts Bureau, Canberra