Samuel was born about 1787 in Eastern Tennessee. We note that on the only informative census he was listed in, in 1850, Samuel Beard Jr. gave his birthplace as Tennessee. He was with his family as they traveled to Kentucky to settle on their lands on the Green River in about 1798, and he grew to manhood in the very early settlements of this area of Kentucky. On 15 April 1815, Samuel married Elizabeth "Betsey" Wheeler in Adair County. Betsey is probably the daughter of Zadock Wheeler and an unknown wife. Zadock was listed in the censuses of Washington County, Kentucky from 1792 through 1830. There are some records in Adair County of him building structures and houses and he is on various indentures and legal papers in the Adair County archives. Betsey was born about 1795 in probably Washington County, Kentucky. Zadock appears as the father on the marriages of three Wheeler girls in Adair County: Betsey in 1815, Rebecca (who married William Brooks in 1817), and Nancy (who married Moses Orme in 1827).
Just after their marriage, Samuel Jr. and Betsey Beard went down into the Bedford County, Tennessee area with his father and others in the Beard family. We believe that they were there through the births of three children at least, before returning to Adair County, Kentucky for the 1830 census. On that census, they appear with a female ten to fifteen, a male ten to fifteen, and a male five to ten. Our analysis of this census is that they had a daughter, born 1815-1820; a son born in the same range that we believe is named Harrison Beard; and the youngest son is obviously Samuel J. Beard, who was born about 1822, probably in Bedford County, Tennessee. Samuel himself was about 43 and Betsey about 35. Also in the home was listed a male aged twenty to thirty. We believe that this male was Samuel's younger brother William Beard, who was the right age and not listed in his own household on this census.
In 1840 in Adair County, Samuel and Betsey lived next household to this William Beard, his brother. Sam and Betsey had their daughter and their youngest son, Samuel J., listed in the home. Their brother David Beard was listed a few homes away, and their sister Elizabeth Caskey was on the same page as Samuel. Also on the same page was Harrison Beard; we believe him to be the elder son of Samuel Jr. and Betsey.
Finally, the 1850 census with its family names was taken. At this time, Samuel and Betsey were living in next door Taylor County, Kentucky. Samuel was 63 and born in Tennessee. Elizabeth (Betsey) was 55 and born in Kentucky. Their son Samuel J. was living in their home, age 28 and born in Tennessee as well. A possible relative of Betsey was listed in the home, and he is William Wheeler, who was twelve years old and born in Missouri. The widow of William Beard, Pyrena Stayton Beard, lived two households away. Next door lived Joseph Cox and his wife Nancy Beard, age 21, the daughter of David Beard.
By 1860, both Samuel Beard Jr and his wife Betsey had disappeared from the census. They both probably died in this time range, and we do not find any marked graves.
http://thebeardfamilyhistory.wikia.com/wiki/Samuel_Beard_Jr.
