Samuel Creelman was born on November 19, 1808, in Colchester, Nova Scotia.

He was a farmer, teacher, businessman, Justice of the Peace, politician, and office holder. He received a common-school education in Stewiacke, Nova Scotia and laboured on his father’s farm until he was of age. In 1843, he became a Justice of the Peace and a trustee of Truro Academy in Colchester. He was the financial secretary of the province from 1851 to 1856. He publicly supported teachers’ institutes and in 1854, he introduced a bill in the assembly for the creation of a provincial normal school. In 1865, he received a land grant in Upper Stewiacke from the province and by 1871 he had become a successful and prominent farmer. Creelman was also a businessman, making frequent investments in land and mortgages. He was a prominent member and officer in the Young Men’s Christian Association, the Sunday School Convention of the Maritime Provinces, and the Nova Scotia Bible Society. He was a member of the Stewiacke Literary Society, the Nova Scotia Historical Society and was also involved with the Nova Scotia Temperance Alliance.

In 1834, he married Elizabeth Elliot Ellis (1812–1904). He died on June 5, 1891, in Upper Stewiacke, Colchester, Nova Scotia.