Samuel P. Reed was born around February 1827 in New York to William and Amelia Reed. His father was a farmer who owned $10,000 of real estate and $2,000 of personal property by 1860. He lived in Richmond, New York, and by 1850, he was also working as a farmer. He supported the Republican Party. In October 1862, as the state's gubernatorial election approached, he expressed fear that "this state will be lost to the Administration, so many volunteers from our ranks have entered the army." He estimated that "70 [men] have gone from this town, and only 3 or 4 of the number are democrats." By 1870, he owned $17,500 of real estate and $6,000 of personal property. His father died in the 1860s, and he helped care for his mother until at least 1870. He never married, and he lived with his brother Charles until at least 1900. He died in Richmond on October 4, 1908.