HOW SAMPLE RUN GOT ITS NAME

The village of Sample Run got its name from a family whose last name was Sample. Samuel Sample (1824-1909) and Barbara Ann Lambertson Sample (1837-1908) once lived in a valley near what would become Clymer, Pennsylvania, and a small stream and the valley were named after them. They may have had a farm. However, according to Violet Ward Kromer, they manufactured charcoal alongside the Two-Lick Creek and possibly "Sample Run." A small stream, called a run, ran by their home and emptied into Two-Lick Creek. ("Run" is shorter version of runlet and runnel, both of which refer to a small brook or stream.) There is a short stream that exists today that originates near the old Sample Run mine and flows into Two-Lick Creek. The Sample family resided near this stream long before the mine was constructed. Because the stream is so short, it was never named on a map. A Pennsylvania map of rivers and streams, however, shows a short stream where the stream is today - but no name is designated. Here are three of photos of Sample Run (creek).

 People named Sample have lived in the area for over two hundred years. A George Sample served as an elder at Bethel Presbyterian Church in Center Township as far back as 1790. A David Sample served as the "Overseer of the Poor" in Center Township in 1807. A William Sample lived in Saltsburg in 1845, and an Anna Sample married a Clarence Hart sometime after 1845. There is mention of a James Sample living in Young Township in 1846. A Revered J. Logan Sample served the Marion Presbyterian Church from 1873. It is not known if these Samples were related to Samuel Sample, but there is a strong possibility that they're all related in some way.

It is known that Samuel and Barbara had one daughter, Catherine Matilda Sample. They probably had other children, but their names are not yet known. There is an old photo of Catherine with her daughters on the page of photos contributed by Violet Ward Kromer.

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