Samuel was the seventh child born to Thomas Arbuckle and his wife, Jane Clendenin Davis and he was born in either Christian or Trigg County, Kentucky. He traveled with his family to Missouri where he was raised. On December 28, 1833 in Morgan County, Missouri he married Frances "Fanny" D. Evans and they had seven known children - Mary Jane, Celestial William, Martha Marvin, Sarah, Thomas, Julia Ann and James Crosby Arbuckle. At the age of 33 he was bitten by the gold bug and left his family in Missouri for the gold fields of California. He did not make it beyond Wyoming and the circumstances of his death are unclear. A letter arrived addressed to his wife which was written from Fort Cornae on the Platte River dated June 1st. The following is what he wrote: Per THE COMPENDIUM OF AMERICAN GENEALOGY, page 308, Samuel died en route to the California Gold Fields. The following is from a copy of a letter that Samuel wrote to his wife a month before he died near Fort Laramie, Wy. From the content it was probably the last word that she had from him. " Platte River:1850, Fort Cornae, June 1 - Frances Arbuckle: Beloved Wife, I am now about 400 miles from home. I would inform you that I am well, and in good spirits. We have not met with any accidents as yet. Our teams are in food order and travels about twenty miles per day. We haven't any sickness in our travels, with the exception of one case of measles, he is better now. We have had plenty of wood and water and grass as yet. There has past here five thousand and five hundred and seventy-five emigrants. We have had the pleasure of seeing plenty of company and of eating several bates of buffalow. I have seen numbers of familys on the road, but they have no females in their company and neither will we have any in our company. There is not half as much attention paid to familys on this rout except those directly connected with them. I would be glad to see you this morning or to hear from you, but I have seen enough to satisfy me that it is better for you to be at home as hard as it seems to you no doubt. I have become a little more reconciled to my fate, I am all the time busy almost impossible to get time to write you. I have rode back two miles this morning and have wrote with three or four different pens. I would writ with one then the other. The wagons is traveling on. I do this as I know how great the pleasure it will be to hear from me. The Clinton boys is ahead 4 days and the Calhoun boys is a few days behind, as it is about three hundred and fifty miles ahead to Fort Larramie will write you there again. Now don't be uneasy I am always capable of taken care of myself. I keep out of all bad company what so ever, that is the golden rule, remember my dear wife that I live for you and I now for the first time in my life, have I felt how much I love you. I think it is possible that I will go on to Oregon, there if the numbers going to California will make it. Must come to close an oppertunity, to self except of my kind wishes when you have my little one, be not deceived by friends protended. I have not time to correct any mistakes. Your affectionate husband. Samuel Arbuckle."