When Esther Edith Graham was born on 4 February 1864, in Fennimore, Grant, Wisconsin, United States, her father, Robert H Graham, was 26 and her mother, Marie Antoinette Bliss, was 23. She married Leo Alford on 11 November 1882, in Grant, Wisconsin, United States. She lived in Seattle, King, Washington, United States in 1910 and Juanita, King, Washington, United States for about 10 years. She died on 31 July 1942, in Fort Steilacoom, Pierce, Washington, United States, at the age of 78, and was buried in Lake View Cemetery, Seattle, King, Washington, United States.