1845 Birth:2424 Birth year of 1845 estimated based on age (5 years) in 1850 census enumeration; birth place of Ohio taken from same source.

1850 U.S. Census:2424 Samantha enumerated in the household of her parents Stillman and Malinda Morey in Carroll Township, Carroll County, Illinois as a female, age 5, born in Ohio. Siblings in the household were William, age 3; Calvin, age 2; and Nancy, age 3 months.

1860 U.S. Census:2221 Samantha enumerated in the household of her parents Stillman and Malinda Morey in Washington Township, Johnson County, Iowa as a female, age 14, born in Ohio. Siblings in the household were Calvin, age 11; Virginl, age 8; George, age 4; and Marion, age 1. Household of Samantha's uncle John F. Morey2222 was enumerated as an adjacent household.

Prairie Fire Tragedy 1873:1195 "J. W. Beeney, contractor and builder, settled in Nebraska in 1864, locating at Brownville, and engaged in contracting and building, and remained until 1872, when he moved to Saline County, settling on a farm five miles west of Wilber. While living on the farm Mr. Beeney met with one of those terrible catastrophies which occasionally occurred to a Nebraska pioneer -- a prairie fire. In September, 1873, Mrs. Morey, mother-in-law of Mr. Beeney, who was living near them with her family, saw a fire coming some five or six miles distant. Mounting a horse, she rode with all speed to the schoolhouse, some three-fourths of a mile distant, where her three children, and also those of Mr. Beeney's, three in number, were attending school, in all eleven persons. Giving the alarm, they started ahead of the fire to seek a place of shelter, but before a mile was passed the fire overtook them. Taking refuge in a sod stable, the flames quickly surrounded them, the intense heat driving them out only to be caught in the flames on the outside. One, the oldest daughter of Mrs. Morey, was burned to death on the prairie. The rest managed to reach Mrs. Morey's house in a very badly burnt condition, where nine of them died from the effects of burns, Mr. Beeney's two oldest sons being the only ones who recovered -- one crippled for life, the other scarred for life. Mr. Beeney was born in Licking County, Ohio, in 1840. In 1855 he moved to Johnson County, Iowa. He came to Nebraska in 1864; settled in Wilber in 1874, and has since been engaged in contracting and building. He was married in 1866 in Johnson County, Iowa, to Miss Samantha Murray (i.e. Samantha Morey, daughter of Stillman Morey and Melinda Neely) of that place. They have six children -- Charles B., Alex, Della, Mattie, Lenna, and Richard, deceased."

Death Between 1878 and 1880:2682 Husband James Beeney enumerated as a widower in 1880 census, Wilbert Precinct, Saline County, Nebraska. Children enumerated with their father were Charles, age 16, and Ellek, age 15, both survivors of the 1873 prairie fire, along with Della, age 11, Geanetta, age 5, and Lena, age 2. Samantha died between Lena's birth about 1878 and the enumeration in 1880.