She was the eldest child of Daniel Wayne Yeager and wife Lucinda Dodd. Marietta's first marriage was to a cousin James Lafayette Yeager, son of her uncle Newton Jasper Yeager, in Lauderdale, County, Mississippi, on Sept. 14, 1884. Her second marriage was to James Andrew Deason in Bibb Co., Alabama, on Dec 7, 1892

(See also notes on James Lafayette Yeager.)
Notes by Elizabeth Yates Johnson on a phone conversation 10/21/93 with Etta's granddaughter Minnie Ruth Quinn Lucas: Etta's first husband died of typhoid fever at 25 in late 1890, leaving her with 3 small children (Minerva Casseline/Minnie Felicia, Zema Orestes, and Nora). Etta had to work the farm "just like a man," plowing and working in the fields. Nora was just a toddler when she died in a fire and was buried near her father James Lafayette Yeager in the little family graveyard in Newton Jasper Yeager's side yard. Etta was then alone with 2 children and a big farm to work and married James Andrew Deason, her sister-in-law's brother. [James L. Yeager's brother Israel Newton Yeager was married to Nancy Malinda Deason.]

Minnie Quinn Lucas said her mother talked about her Uncle John [John Alexander Yeager, son of Daniel Wayne Yeager] a lot. He was in the Miss. House of Representatives and he wrote her mother (Etta's daughter Minnie Felicia Yeager Quinn) often and sent them "a big red book about the Mississippi legislature" with an account of him in it. Minnie also said that her mother insisted Etta's name was spelled Marietta, not Mary Etta, with middle name Wayne, not Waine. [The "big red book" is "Mississippi Official and Statistical Register, Centenary Volume, 1917," Dept. of Archives and History with short bio of John Alexander Yeager on pp. 879-880.] Etta died in an influenza epidemic in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

Tuscaloosa, AL, Times-Gazette, Dec. 3, 1907: "Death of Mrs. A. J. Deason. The death of Mrs. A. J. Deason, the wife of the well-known fruit merchant on Sixth street, occurred at her home in the western section of the city Sunday night. Mrs. Deason had been ill for several weeks and what makes her death especially sad is the fact that her husband and five children are all ill at this time. She was a most excellent lady and during her brief residence in Tuscaloosa had made a number of friends. She and her husband came here about two years ago from Bibb County. She leaves to mourn her loss her husband and the little children mentioned and also two children by a former marriage. Funeral services were held from the residence yesterday afternoon at three o'clock, the interment taking place in Evergreen Cemetery. Rev. D.D. Little conducted the services, assisted by Pastor L. O. Dawson."