Edward A. Dibble was born on December 1, 1831, in Essex County, New York, to Lyman Dibble and Eliza Jane Smart. His father was a farmer who owned $250 of real estate by 1850. The family moved to Champaign County, Ohio, around 1837, and then to Center, Ohio, around 1844. Dibble grew up and attended school there. He married Mary Kumpf on November 30, 1854, and they had at least seven children: Alton, born around 1855; Ann, born around 1857; Susan, born around 1860; George, born around 1864; Ada, born around 1866; William, born around 1868; and Leroy, born around 1871.
They lived in Center, Ohio, and Dibble worked as a farmer. By 1860, he owned $600 of real estate and $400 of personal property. He enlisted in the Union army on October 8, 1862, and he mustered in as a private in Company F of the 56th Ohio Infantry. The regiment took part in the Vicksburg campaign, and he developed rheumatism during the campaign. He mustered out on July 8, 1863.
He returned to Center after the war and resumed his work as a farmer. By 1870, he owned $1,500 of real estate and $270 of personal property. He was a member of the Democratic Party and the Methodist Episcopal Church, and he played an active role in local civic life. He applied for a federal pension in May 1890 and eventually secured one. He died on December 27, 1912.