Unlike his older brother, Samuel loved farming. When his parents had died, Samuel's Uncle Sheamus had acquired the lease on the land being farmed by the Cotter family. When Samuel was old enough he started renting it from his uncle. Samuel married a rather industrious woman named Sally Donegon. Sally was a skilled weaver, and with a loom built by Samuel, she was able to weave and sell some cloth. As the years passed though, weaving became more of a hobby than a business venture. As the textile industry became more and more industrialized in England and Ulster, weavers like Sally found it harder and harder to compete.