Sam Steiner grew up in the home of a Mennonite pastor and school teacher. During the Vietnam War he became a draft resister and moved to Canada in 1968. He studied history and library science, served as Librarian and Archivist at Conrad Grebel University College (affiliated with the University of Waterloo) for almost 34 years. He is married to a Mennonite pastor.
He was managing editor of the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online (GAMEO)(http://gameo.org). His books have related to Mennonite history, especially Ontario Mennonite history.