Frances E. Burns

Frances E. Burns (May 2, 1866 – November 19, 1937) was an American social leader and business woman. She served as Great Commander for Michigan of the Ladies of the Maccabees. She was the first woman executive of an American fraternal congress that was national in its scope.

Early life and education Frances E. Sanford was born on a farm from Ionia, Michigan, Her parents were James Bronson Sanford and Maria Yeomans Sanford (1826–1904). They were American born but both were of English descent. Her father had been a merchant in Chicago before moving to the Ionia farm, where she was the second youngest child. She had two sisters and seven brothers. The family was financially comfortable.

The Frances E. Burns Maccabee Home for Aged Women, in Alma, Michigan, was named in her honor.