Rosalind Amelia Young (13 August 1853 – 1 February 1924) was a historian from

Pitcairn Islands The Pitcairn Islands (; Pitkern: '), officially the Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno Islands, is a group of four volcanic islands in the southern Pacific Ocean that form the sole British Overseas Territory in the Pacific Ocean. The four isl ...

Early life

Young was born in 1853 on Pitcairn Island to Simon Young and Mary Buffett Christian. She was also the great-granddaughter of

John Adams John Adams (October 30, 1735 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, attorney, diplomat, writer, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the second president of the United States from 1797 to 1801. Befor ...

, one of the mutineers of . As a young child she was part of a migration to

Norfolk Island Norfolk Island (, ; Norfuk: ''Norf'k Ailen'') is an external territory of Australia located in the Pacific Ocean between New Zealand and New Caledonia, directly east of Australia's Evans Head and about from Lord Howe Island. Together with ...

but returned in 1864. Her father led the return of several families to the Pitcairn Islands and became magistrate in 1849.

Career

From a young age she began recording the history of the Pitcairn Islands, specifically that of Elizabeth Mills, daughter of a ''Bounty'' mutineer. She shared the history of the islands through letters, collecting historical information and personal stories. She also began writing articles about the islands and worked as a primary schoolteacher. In 1894 she published a comprehensive history of Pitcairn Islands in the book ''Mutiny of the Bounty and Story of Pitcairn Island (1790–1894).'' Since its original publication, the book has been reprinted several times. The book is one of the few documentations of the islands' history and drew upon the direct experiences of several generations of islanders, including those of HMS ''Bounty''. Young was also a poet and composed the words to several songs which are still played on Pitcairn Islands.

Legacy

In 2017, five stamps were created in her honour, as part of the 'Prominent Pitcairners' series, and were on sale from 22 February 2017 (for a period of two years).

Personal life

Young married Pastor David Nield, a New Zealander, on 27 November 1907 in Auckland, New Zealand. She died on 1 February 1924 on Pitcairn Island.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Young, Rosalind Amelia 1853 births 1924 deaths Pitcairn Islands people Pitcairn Islands people of English descent Women historians 19th-century women writers 19th-century historians 20th-century women writers 20th-century historians