Sarah Elizabeth Corbin was born on March 3, 1849, in Indiana to Elijah and Keturah Corbin. Her father was a farmer who owned $5,180 of real estate and $2,376 of personal property by 1860. She grew up and attended school in Fayette County, Indiana, and she married Benjamin F. Murphy on September 5, 1867. They had six children, including Albert, born around 1869; Rosa, born around 1872; Caroline, born around 1874; Sarah, born around 1876; and Franklin, born around 1889. They lived in Jennings, Indiana, and her husband worked as a farmer. She helped care for her aging mother until at least 1900. She died of stomach cancer in Jennings on July 15, 1916.