Sam Fieldman was born on March 15, 1892 in Nikolayev, Ukraine, but grew up in the seaside city of Odessa, located about two hours away. At the time of his youth, Ukraine was still part of Russia. Sam lived with his parents, Beryl and Gita Fieldman, and his siblings - Joe, Harry, Abe, Sam, Esther, and Izzy. Sam and his family lived in a neighborhood with a diverse population, but the majority of his neighbors were Jews. Wealthier Jews tended to live in other parts of the city. While Jews were allowed to own property, they were not permitted to own land. When Sam was about 13 years old, he developed a strong interest in machinery and loved working with his hands. He learned this skill by apprenticing in Russia, where he also learned the value of taking his time and doing things correctly, rather than rushing and making mistakes. In an old interview with one of his own daughters, Arlene, Sam shared his motto for the toolmaking process that he had learned many decades prior from his own mentors: "don't rush, do good work." He received valuable feedback along the way that helped him improve his skills. Sam's father was a Hebrew School teacher and his mother was a housewife. Although Odessa was a beautiful and sophisticated city located on the water, tensions were rising due to an increase in antisemitic pogroms in Russia and the Fieldman family knew that their future prospects in Odessa were bleak. They decided to start a new journey and emigrate to the United States in search of better opportunities.