She met Robert Flaherty in 1903 in Painesdale, Michigan, where he was employed by her father; the two fell in love, but Flaherty, then "a lumberjack-handyman... of no means and few expectations," was dismissed by her father, after which Frances had a nervous breakdown and was treated at a sanatorium in Dansville, New York, while Flaherty went to British Columbia.
Frances met Robert Flaherty in 1903 in Painesdale, Michigan, where he worked for her father. They fell in love but were separated when Flaherty's lack of means and social standing led to his dismissal by her father. This caused Frances a nervous breakdown, which she underwent treatment for at a sanatorium in Dansville, New York, while Flaherty moved to British Columbia.