Schieffelin was born on February 24, 1811 in New York City. He was the son of Henry Hamilton Schieffelin, named in honor of Governor Henry Hamilton for whom his father Jacob served as secretary for during the American Revolutionary War, and Maria Theresa Bradhurst, who married in 1806. Among his siblings was brother Bradhurst Schieffelin, who entered politics and supported the People's Party. His paternal grandparents were Jacob Schieffelin and Hannah Schieffelin. His maternal grandfather was Dr. Samuel Bradhurst The Schieffelin family was one of the oldest families in Manhattan.
Career
He was educated in private schools, and early turned his attention to business, but contributed largely to the religious press. After his father retired from business in 1849, he and his brothers managed the family drug company that their father had founded, Schieffelin Brothers & Co., where Samuel was the president, until 1865, when his son, William, succeeded him. Following his own retirement, he focused on his literature, writing The Foundations of History and other books, most of which were religious.
Personal life
In 1835, Schieffelin was married to Lucretia Hazard. Together, they were the parents of three children:
William Henry Schieffelin, who married Mary B. Jay, daughter of John Jay, the U.S. Minister to Austria-Hungary, and great-granddaughter John Jay, the first Chief Justice of the United States
Alice Holmes Schieffelin, who married Russell Stebbins.
Through his son William, he was the grandfather of Eleanor Jay Schiefflin, who married Theodore Munger Taft, and Dr. William Jay Schieffelin, who married Maria Louise Shepard, the daughter of Elliot Fitch Shepard and Margaret Louisa Vanderbilt, and granddaughter of Cornelius Vanderbilt. Through his daughter Alice, he was the grandfather of Grace Stebbins, who married Alfred Clark Chapin, former Mayor of Brooklyn, Samuel Schieffelin Stebbins, a stockbroker, and Russell Hazard Schieffelin. The Chapin's daughter, Samuel's great-granddaughter, Grace Chapin, was married to Hamilton Fish III, member of the U.S. House of Representatives.
Works
His works include:
Message to Ruling Elders, their Office and their Duties ;
The Foundations of History: a Series of First Things ;
