Nathaniel L. Corbet was born in Champlain, New York, on June 13, 1812, to Daniel and Sarah (Gordon) Corbet and was raised near the Canadian border. At age 21, he enlisted in the U.S. Army and joined the elite, newly organized United States Regiment of Dragoons. His most notable military service was the disastrous dragoon expedition of 1834 across Indian Territory, present-day Oklahoma, which ended with many casualties from disease and blistering summer heat. After his military service ended on July 18, 1836, he moved to the newly admitted state of Arkansas and began farming. While living in Crawford County, Arkansas, he married Mary A. Price in Van Buren. After a brief stay in Indian Territory, he and his family moved to Texas in 1845 and opened a mercantile store in Ben Franklin, Lamar County, now Delta County. His general store was typical of the time, stocking a wide range of products for the average pioneer, and his business later expanded into blacksmithing, farming, and ranching. In 1863, he sold the ranch near Ben Franklin and moved five miles into Hopkins County, now Delta County. There, in 1870, he played an important role in founding the town of Cooper, later the county seat of the newly formed Delta County, by donating 10 acres for the new town site. In Cooper, he built a rough plank house with a few rooms and operated the Corbet Hotel, and he also served the community as deputy sheriff and city marshal. In 1892, he moved to Indian Territory, now Oklahoma, to live with his son. He died in 1901, and his burial site is unknown.