Emeline Stearns (maiden name: Frank) was born around 1832 in New York to Michael and Eliza Frank. She probably grew up in Busti, New York. She married James D. Stearns around 1849, and they had at least four children: Frank, born around 1850; Ella, born around 1853; Warren, born around 1860; and Elizabeth, born around 1869.
They settled in Jamestown, New York, and her husband worked as a lumberman. By 1860, they owned $480 of real estate and $300 of personal property. By 1870, they were living in Ellicott, New York, and they owned $3,600 of real estate and $200 of personal property. She died in Jamestown on January 24, 1893.