A native of Wisconsin with a French-Canadian background, Mary Agnes Starr was a collector of French-Canadian folklore most of her life. She was widely known for her lecture-recitals, The Voyageur in Song and Story, and Adventures in French Folklore. Starr gave programs featuring American folksongs, and lectured on American folklore at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
She was associated with the National Folk Festival Association (NFFA) beginning in 1948 as a participant as well as a volunteer assisting with forums, conferences, workshops and public relations. She was also an active member of the National Advisory Council of NFFA, a member of the State Board of the Wisconsin Federation of Music Clubs (archivist-chair of folk music) for over twenty years, served on the board of the National Federation, and was chair of Folk-Music Research for four years.
