Samuel Thompson, an African American man, was born in North Carolina in about 1841. He was formerly enslaved by Lewis Thompson, who took him from North Carolina to Mississippi in a forced migration. Samuel self-emancipated alongside Lib Thompson prior to January 17, 1863. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy January 17, 1863 for service in the American Civil War. He served as a sailor until his discharge on June 16, 1865. Thompson was a laborer in St. Louis, Missouri from 1867 to his death. He died prior to September 21, 1904.