Her father betrothed her to a local man, but Anne resisted. Seeking adventure, when she was sixteen, in 1714, she quickly fell in love with the small-time criminal and pirate James Bonny who hoped to grab some of the lucrative business and wealth that Anne was entitled to after her wedding. Her father, however, did not approve of their relationship, and eventually, he totally disowned her daughter. There are no historical proofs, but some stories mention that Anne's father plantation mysteriously became on fire shortly after her father removed her from his will.
Freed from her family, it is known that, some time between 1714 and 1718, Anne and James Bonny eventually ended up in one of the most famous pirate gathering points - New Providence on the Bahamas. They married in 1718. There Anne quickly became friends with many pirates that visited this port, but James did not follow her wish to join then but instead became an informant for the office of Governor Woodes Rogers. His decision created animosity between the married couple, and Anne started more and more to visit local taverns and listens to the stories of pirate life.
Disenchanted by her marriage, she became involved with pirate John (“Calico Jack”) Rackham. He offered to pay her husband to divorce her—a common practice at the time—but John Bonny refused.
In August 1718 Anne Bonny abandoned her husband and assisted Rackham in commandeering the sloop William from Nassau Harbour on New Providence.