In 1828, he arrived on Pitcairn Island, where he became a schoolmaster and unordained parson to a community that was descended from HMS Bounty mutineers and Tahitian islanders. On 18 October 1829, Nobbs married Sarah Christian, the granddaughter of Fletcher Christian, who had led the mutiny. Nobbs left the island for a time during the rule of Joshua Hill; he returned when Hill was expelled in 1837 and became the leader of the community himself.