Elijah Alfred Corbin was born on February 17, 1821, either in Ohio or Indiana. He married Elizabeth Flinn on December 2, 1841, and his son William was born around 1844. His wife probably died in the mid-1840s, and he married Elizabeth Myers on March 13, 1845. She probably died soon afterward, and he married Keturah Myres on March 19, 1848. They had at least six children: Sarah, born on March 3, 1849; Eliza, born around 1851; Susan, born around 1853; Mary, born around 1855; Hannah, born around 1860; and Charles, born around 1865. They lived in Jennings, Indiana, and he worked as a farmer. By 1860, he owned $5,180 of real estate and $2,376 of personal property. A decade later, his wealth had grown to $8,000 of real estate and $1,000 of personal property. He died on October 29, 1893.