Marietta was a precocious child. When nine years old she would be placed on a table to sing at Camp meetings. As an adult her voice was a full rich contralto. She never attended public schools. Her education was obtained at private schools. She was well educated for her day. When a young woman she was at a party and her escort became so rude that she refused to allow him to accompany her home. She had a will of her own and asked George Janes if he would take her home. This acquaintance utltimately culminated in their marriage. She and her husband both sang in the church choir, she a leading alto and he a rich bass. When it was time for the family to move off to the Dakota Territory she had the esponsibility of selling off the household goods and other property. It was a hard journey from New York State to the wild west. She with her son and daughter rode the New York Central from North Bay to Chicago where they transferred to the Northwestern R. R. for a ride to Sioux City, Iowa. They transferred to the Dakota Southern and rode to Yankton, S. D. which was the end of the Rail. Now they had a fifty mile ride in a lumber wagon to their destination about 5 miles east of Parkston, S. D. Here they pulled up to a 14 foot square shanty which was to be their home. With no show of emotion she went right to work preparing an evening meal which required fueling a stove with fuel of twisted hay. Life was not easy or simple in those days. There was not a tree or a house in sight on the level plain. She had learned to sew before she was twelve. She could make a "Starched Shirt" that is a white laundry by hand. She was an excellent cook, a splendid manager of the house, and could turn out a lot of work in a day. After her husband died she lived alone in Mitchell, S. D. and could do most of her work until she her death. Arza was with her shortly before she died and he said one of the last things she did was get up and straighten a curtain because he couldn't fix it to suit her.