Almira Ann Braffett was part of a group of early Mormon pioneers and during her lifetime, traveled across the country some 2,600 miles. She was born on January 1, 1829, in Oswego, New York. She was one of 9 children born to George Washington Braffett and Amanda Davis, both of English descent. Sometime after 1837, her family had relocated to Nauvoo, Illinois. Nauvoo was an early Mormon settlement located in a swampy area along the Mississippi River. The town grew quickly and at one point held over 15,000 individuals. Due to poor living conditions in the city, many people died of diseases related to malnutrition and unsafe drinking water. Almira’s mother Amanda died of Tuberculosis (Consumption) in April of 1844, her brother Henry died soon after of Noma (Canker) in August and then her little sister, Lucinda, died as well in September of the same year. The family soon left the city with most of the other residents who were expelled from the city by antagonized locals. Almira was married soon after in Plum Hollow, Pottawattomie, Iowa on November 5th, 1848. Her husband, Henry Dill Gifford, was also part of the group of Mormons fleeing Illinois. The small family lived in Pottawattamie, Iowa until about 1852 when they joined the Uriah Curtis Company made up of roughly 260 individuals with 50 wagons when it began the journey from Kanesville, Iowa (present day Council Bluffs). They arrived in the Salt Lake Valley between 29 September and 1 October 1852. The couple settled in Sanpete County, Utah. Their son, Alma, was born there in 1860. In the 1900 census, Henry and Almira were living in Sevier County, Utah and by that time, they had lost 5 of their 10 children. Very shortly after the 1900 census, the couple was in Woodville, Bingham County, Idaho. Henry died there in 1901 and Almira followed on January 6, 1903. They are buried in Rose Hill Cemetery in Woodville, Idaho.