Clara Frances Cook Steen/Stein

AKA: Fannie

Born 1851-06-05 Xenia, OH (USA)

Died 1933-05-04
Aledo, IL (USA)

Buried
(USA)

When Frances was a young girl she was formally trained as a musician. During her early years, Frances, her parents and sisters lived just outside Richwood, Ohio. During the late 1860’s her family moved to Wenona, Illinois and eventually settled in Aledo in 1875. Frances was married in Aledo on December 19, 1875.
Days after her wedding, she and her husband moved to Lowell, Nebraska, and then settled in Minden, Nebraska. They were the first family to build a house in Minden in 1878 and theirs was the first family to settle in that town. Frances was truly a frontierswoman. Frances first began writing poetry in Minden in the 1870’s.
After the tragic death of her husband in 1892, Frances with her three children returned to Aledo in 1893. Frances Cook Steen was a prominent member of the Aledo community in the early 1900’s. Frances became an accomplished poet, composer and teacher of music. She was also a very talented but little known artist during her lifetime. Dino Vlahos wrote a biography of Frances Cook Steen, In Search of the Artist, 2012.

Places Lived

Ohio
Lowell, NE
Minden, NE
Aledo, IL

Author Of

Poetry
Music and Audio
Visual Work

Keywords

Poetry

Occupation

Poet
Artist
Musician

Bibliography

Life Waves. 1922.
Along the Way. 1931.

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