Mary Emmons Yates was born and reared in Mexico, Missouri, twenty-six miles from Martin Yates's hometown of Fulton, and, though raised as a college-educated young woman of privilege, came to the Southwest as Martin's bride to homestead near the Pecos River. There she faced a drastically new way of life while her husband's enthusiasm for possible oil discovery did little to sustain their growing family at first. Adapting quickly, though not always happily, she became a pioneer woman who was unassuming, resourceful, practical, and committed to education, fighting for a good life for her children. Her son S. P. Yates recalled that she rode with his father over the country in a Model T Ford, chose the spot where they stopped to drill a well, kept up well with his business, and did not intend to let earlier failures happen again. Although a rheumatic heart limited her activities, she had a beautiful, professional-quality singing voice and joined community efforts for cultural entertainment. She and Martin had four sons—Harvey, Martin III, S. P., and John—who also became New Mexico oil pioneers.