Moving to Oklahoma

Tragedy eventually forced Anna and Frank to leave Missouri. Early in their marriage, they lost both of their children: son Frank Marvin, who died in infancy, and daughter Mildred Lillian, who died of illness at age ten. Overwhelmed by grief upon Mildred's death the Korns decided to move and start over.

Frank's work as a dispatcher for the Rock Island Railroad eventually brought the couple to Oklahoma. After a brief stay in Chickasha in 1905, they moved to El Reno, which became their permanent home. Following the loss of her children, Anna devoted herself more deeply to her public life. She joined and led numerous organizations, including the Order of the Eastern Star, the Magna Charta Dames, and the Daughters of the American Revolution.  

A gifted public speaker and organizer, Anna rallied others to political and social causes. She founded the Oklahoma League of Democratic Women to educate women on politics and support laws that promoted legal equality. She also founded and led the Women's Legislative Council. Under her leadership, the Council lobbied for women's suffrage, the right for women to serve on juries, and the creation of a separate women's ward in the state penitentiary.