Samuel B. Gatewood was the ninth of twelve children born to Philip Gatewood (1794-ca. 1848) and his wife Jane Bailey (ca. 1795-1880) of Anson Co., NC. Both families were among the earliest settlers in the county. Samuel grew up on his father's farm near Morven. The family was rocked by scandal in May 1839 when Philip Gatewood murdered his brother-in-law Thomas P. Brady and subsequently fled, abandoning his wife and children. Oddly, the scandal does not seem to have affected the social or economic fortunes of the family. Jane Gatewood and her children remained on the farm which by 1850 included ten enslaved African Americans.

On December 8, 1858 in Wadesboro, Samuel married Nancy Hooker Covington (1840-1917), daughter of another prominent farming family in the county. The couple settled on a large farm where they raised ten children: Dora (b. 1860), Abijah L. (b. 1862), Mary (b. 1866), Margaret Lillie (b. 1868), Thomas Ashe (b. 1870), John Calvin (b. 1871), Daniel Eugene (b. 1873), Aurie (b. 1875), William S. (b. 1877), and Nancy ("Nannie") Lee (b. 1880). [NOTE: the birth dates of many of the Gatewood children are uncertain.]

Civil War Service: Samuel Gatewood served as a private in Co. A, 59th Reg. NC Troops (4th Regiment NC Cavalry). He enlisted at Wadesboro, Anson Co. at age 26 on May 10, 1862 for the war. He was present and accounted for through August 1864. Gatewood's regiment was attached to the Cavalry Corps of General J.E.B. Stuart of the Army of North Virginia. [North Carolina Troops, 1861-1865: A Roster, Vol. 2, comp. by Louis H. Manarin (Raleigh, State Division of Archives and History, 1968).]
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Thirty years after the war, a comrade recalled his friendship with Sam Gatewood: "I messed with Cottingham and Sam Gatewood a long, long time, because I loved them--true men and brave as steel. Jim rode a crop-eared bay, Sam a white horse, and they were always in front of the battle." [Messenger and Intelligencer (Wadesboro, NC), Nov. 14, 1895.]
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A TRUE WAR STORY.
The Same Being An Account of the Manner in Which a Number of Private Soldiers Appropriated to Themselves the Feast Prepared for a Number of General Officers of the Army of Northern Virginia.
Mr. Samuel Gatewood, who lives four miles south of Wadesboro, is a small man and a man of mild temper. To look at him now no one would suppose that he was one of the most dare-devil fighters who marched in the ranks of the army of Northern Virginia. And he was not only a good fighter when facing the enemy, but was also one of a choice band of foragers of his command, whose frequent forays not only led them into laughable situations but into places of danger as well. The write recently was fortunate enough to be present when a number of his war-time comrades drew from Mr. Gatewood the story of how he, together with several other privates[,] captured the "victuals" that had been prepared for a Christmas banquet to be given a number of the general officers of Gen. Lee's army—officers of the rank of Gordon, Longstreet and the Hills.
[Messenger and Intelligencer (Wadesboro, NC), August 11, 1907, 1.]
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After the war, Samuel Gatewood managed his inherited portion of the family's lands, replacing slave labor with tenants. In 1917 Gatewood was one of the citizens of Anson County honored by the planting of a tree on the courthouse grounds in Wadesboro. In reporting this, the town newspaper printed the following biographical sketch:

"Gatewood is a very old and reliable name in Anson county, and the man for whom this tree was planted is Samuel Gatewood. He married Miss Covington and they have reared a large family of fine sons and daughters. He is a successful farmer, a sensible, hospitable, kindly gentleman. So often in getting ready for a veteran re-union it would be said, 'well, here comes Mr. Sam Gatewood and he's got two baskets and they are full, and awful good.'"
[Messenger and Intelligencer (Wadesboro, NC), April 12, 1917, 3.]
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MR. SAMUEL GATEWOOD DEAD.
Mr. Samuel Gatewood died last Friday morning at his home a few miles from Wadesboro, after a long illness. He had been in declining health since he fell and broke his leg nearly a year ago, never having recovered from the effects of the fall. The funeral services were held Saturday morning by Mr. Gatwood's [sic] pastor, Rev. W.A. Elam, of Lilesville, assisted by Rev. C.L. Jackson, and the interment was in Eastview cemetery. There was a large attendance of relatives and friends.

Mr. Gatewood was 85 years old, and was a son of the late Philip Gatewood. He was the last surviving member of his immediate family. He married Miss Nancy Covington, who died several years ago. He is survived by the following sons and daughters: Messrs. D.E., T.A. and J.C. Gatewood, of this county; W.S. Gatewood, of Garthage [sic]; Mrs. T.F. Costner, of Lumberton; Mrs. Maggie Lilly, and Miss Nannie Lee Gatewood, who lived with their father; Mrs. Aurie Brock, of Norfolk, Va.

Mr. Gatewood was a man of strong convictions, true to his friends and to those things which he considered right. Before the heavy hand of age was laid upon him, he was very active, and was well known all over the county. He had been a member of the Lilesville Baptist church more than 50 years. He was a veteran of the war between the states, having served with honor continuously during the entire war.
[Messenger and Intelligencer (Wadesboro, NC), November 27, 1929, 1.]