Pitcairn was a schooner built in 1890 for the Seventh-day Adventist Church for use in missionary work in the South Pacific.

[3] Tay reached Pitcairn Island on HMS Pelican on 18 October 1886, and stayed until the last week of November.

[6] The Adventists had devoted relatively little effort to foreign missions up to the time of Tay's voyage, despite the urging of Ellen G. White.

[8] A resolution was passed at the California Adventist conference in October 1887 to buy a ship for use in missionary work in the Pacific islands.

At the General Conference in Oakland that started on 13 November 1887 a committee was established to consider a resolution to use up to $20,000 to buy or build a ship, to be ready early in 1888.

[9] In April 1888 the committee decided to dispatch Elder Andrew J. Cudney with Tay to Pitcairn and other islands to determine what type of vessel would be needed.

[10] The General Conference of October 1889 resolved to immediately buy or built a suitable vessel for missionary work in the Pacific Islands, to be ready by the end of 1890, with at least $20,000 raised by donations to fund the project.

On 22 April 1890 Charles H. Jones and John Tay signed a detailed contract with Captain Matthew Turner, who had a shipyard at Benicia, California, to deliver a schooner complete in "hull, spars, and iron work" by 31 July 1890 at a cost of $7,400, to be paid in installments as the work progressed.

[12] The ship was launched into San Francisco Bay on schedule on 28 July 1890 and work started on rigging and outfitting.

A number of short trips were made in the bay before the start of the first voyage, generally carrying Sabbath School members as passengers.

She carried three missionary couples from San Francisco, John and Hannah Tay, Edward H. and Ida Gates, and Albert and Hattie Read.

[16] On 26 November 1890 the British ship Troop, traveling from Oregon to Cardiff, communicated with Pitcairn and was then boarded by Tay and about 20 islanders, who sold the captain fruit and vegetables.

On 28 November 1890 the iron sailing ship Renee Rickmers of Bremerhaven was approaching Pitcairn Island when she saw the schooner, mistook it for a pirate, and rapidly stood out to sea to escape.

[20] The Reads, as well as Captain Marsh's wife, remained at Norfolk Island when the ship sailed on 7 October 1891 for Auckland, New Zealand.

The New Zealand Herald reported the arrival of the mission schooner Pitcairn at Waitemata Harbour on 12 October 1891.

[14] A new cabin, forecastle and galley were built above deck, since the below-deck conditions in the tropics were stifling, and an auxiliary engine was installed for use in ports.

Passengers included the missionaries Benjamin and Iva Cady, John and Fanny Cole, and Elliot and Cora Chapman.

Others were the medical doctor Merritt Kellogg, the teacher Miss Hattie Andre, and James McCoy.

She went on to Tahiti, Huahine and Raiatea Islands, where Benjamin Cady and the Chapmans chose to stay to work as missionaries and teachers.

Other missionaries were George and Ada Wellman, Rodney and Carrie Stringer, W. E. and Rosa Buckner, Dudley and Sarah Owen with their two children, and Miss Lillian White.

Pitcairn sailed on with the islanders Maude and Sarah Young as missionaries, who received some basic medical training.

On return to Papeete they received grudging permission for a brief visit to Raiatea, from where they sailed back to San Francisco, arriving on 27 December 1894.

[14] The fourth voyage left San Francisco on 1 May 1895, commanded again by John Graham, Passengers were Dr. Frederick Braucht and his wife Mina, Edwin Butz with his wife Florence Butz and daughter Alma, Edward and Ida Hilliard and their daughter Alta, Jesse and Cora Rice and child, and Rowen and Pauline Prickett.

[22] The Pitcairn went on to Fiji, then to Apia, Samoa, and in late October 1895 sailed from there to San Francisco which was reached in early December 1895.

Passengers were Herbert and Millie Dexter, Joseph and Cleora Green, Jonathan and Sophie Whatley with their son, the nurse William Floding and the Pitcairn islanders Alfred and Arthur Young.

The Butz family boarded, having been transferred to Tonga, with the Pitcairners Maria Young and Tom Christian as assistants.

[14] Pitcairn reached Tongatapu on 3 June 1899, bringing a small prefabricated building that was used at first as a mission home and as a chapel.

[23] Pitcairn transferred the Butz family north to Vavaʻu Island, then sailed for Fiji on 13 June 1899.