author
Esther Nelson Karn
An Indiana poet and businesswoman, she wrote lyrical books with titles like Snow-Flakes, Violets, and Wild Roses. Her life blended literature, music, and practical work, giving her writing a grounded, homegrown charm.
1 Audiobook
Snowflakes
by Esther Nelson Karn
About the author
Born in New Philadelphia, Ohio, in August 1860, Esther Nelson Karn was raised in Indiana and later became closely associated with Fort Wayne. She trained as a teacher and also studied journalism and oratory, building a background that connected education, public expression, and writing.
After teaching briefly, she married Samuel A. Karn in 1882. Alongside her literary work, she worked as a bookkeeper and was involved in the family’s piano and sheet-music business in Fort Wayne. After being widowed and later losing her brother and business partner in 1919, she continued running the business into the early 1930s.
Karn is remembered as a poet whose published books included Snow-Flakes (1900), Violets (1904), Wild Roses (1915), and Lure of the Wilds (1925). She died on April 13, 1936, in Allen County, Indiana, leaving behind the picture of a writer who balanced art with everyday responsibility.