Ivan Semenovich Korneev was born on 9 September 1911 to a peasant family. His parents were hereditary bread-breakers. When he turned eight, he went to school. Helping the family, he and his grandfather were harvesting crops. He finished junior high school in 1921 and then went to work as a teacher at that school. In 1935, he entered the distance learning department at a teacher training college in Serdobsk. He graduated from technical school and continued to work as a primary school teacher. For good work, Ivan Semenovich received letter of commendation, a medal "For Labor Distinction". In 1941 he left to fight and was in the army until the victorious 1945.