Samuel Roberts was born in Wales in 1833. Hearing news of the 1859 Cariboo gold rush, Samuel and his brothers left Wales for North America. Though his passage was paid to New Caledonia (now British Columbia), Samuel and his fellow passengers found themselves stranded in New York City. After selling a chest of tools Samuel was able to make his way to Pittsburgh and find work in the coal mines. Eventually, he traveled to the Mississippi and headed down river to New Orleans.

This was a difficult journey, as the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861 had brought river traffic to a virtual halt. Soon after his arrival in New Orleans, Samuel sailed to the Isthmus of Panama and walked overland to the west coast of Mexico. He then sailed to Victoria by way of San Francisco. Arriving in 1862, the 29 year old spent only a short time in Victoria before paddling his canoe to Yale. Along with other gold seekers, Samuel relayed his supplies over the 480 mile Cariboo trail to Barkerville. During the journey Samuel joined forces with Henry Brackman. Together they made their strike and secured shares in claims on the famous Williams and Lightning Creeks. Samuel labored for ten summers in Barkerville and worked in the coal mines in Nanaimo during the winter months.
It was also in Nanaimo that he met his bride, Agnes Gough. Agnes's parents had arrived at Esquimalt from England on November 23, 1854 aboard the Princess Royal along with twenty-three other families. At Esquimalt the families transferred to the ships Beaver and Recovery which arrived in Nanaimo four days later. Agnes was about 15 years old at the time of her marriage to Samuel. They were married in Victoria's Wesleyan Church on December 16, 1871. It is rumoured that they traveled to Victoria by canoe.
In 1872, Samuel purchased approximately three hundred acres from Richard John. The new property was named, "Beaufort Farm" after Samuel's birthplace in Wales.