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Sixty-year-old divorcee, Frances Emugene Owens (b. 1843),
and her thirty-two-year-old daughter, Amy Owens (b. 1871), died together at the
Iroquois Theater. Frances had previously taught school but by 1900 devoted
herself to publishing. Amy taught at the George W. Curtis school.
Also in their party at the Iroquois, and another victim, was a teacher who
boarded with them,
Susie Welton. This is an exception to my usual practice of keeping
all in an Iroquois party on a single webpage.
Frances came to Chicago from New York with her parents at
age 15 and became a teacher in 1860. Other than a few years spent with her
husband in the Dakotas publishing a newspaper, she spent her life in Chicago.
She married a Kentucky-born newspaperman, William L.H. Owens, in 1864 and lived
with him until 1885 when he moved to Utah. The year before she'd authored a cookbook,
Owens Cook Book and Useful Household Hints,* that enjoyed early success.
She and William formed a corporation through which to sell the book. After moving
to Utah, however, he neglected fulfilling book orders and tried to sell his portion
of the corporation. In 1887 she appealed to the superior court in Chicago,
requesting the appointment of a receiver to protect the corporation, and a divorce.
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By 1890 she had control of the corporation and added a monthly magazine,
The Journal of Industrial Education.
Frances was a woman ahead of her time and then some. In addition to
raising her five children near single handedly, she wrote a book and wrested
control of its sale and marketing from her husband. She served as an
officer in numerous women's philanthropic and publishing organizations,
traveled, and expanded her company. She had returned from a year's
stay in Hawaii shortly before the Iroquois fire.
The family home was at 6241 Kimbark Avenue in the Woodlawn area of Chicago.
Living there besides Frances and Amy were two other Owen's children, Ivy Owens
(b.1879), a college student, and Roy Owens (b.1877), an electrician, as well
as three boarders (including Susie Welton) and a servant.
According to the 1900 census, Frances gave birth to five children. At that time,
all five survived.
Roy identified the bodies of his mother and sister. The bodies were
cremated by Graceland Cemetery and returned to the family.
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