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 was employed by her father; the two 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.