Join us for an examination of Rachel Patton, the formidable Mistress of the Patton Plantation who was also enslaved. This program will include a live telling of Rachel Patton's story by guest speaker and living historian, Cheryl McBeth. After the performance, an interview will take place between Cheryl McBeth and site educator Gwyneth Ridenour overviewing Rachel's impact on the history of the Varner-Hogg Plantation. This program is recommended for adults and is covered by the site's admission fee.
Born in 1814, Rachel was an enslaved woman. We do not know who her parents were or where she came from, other than she was acquired by the Patton family in 1833. The Patton family consisted of John Patton, his wife Margaretta Hester Patton, and their children St. Clair, Charles Fox, America, Margaretta, William and Columbus. The Patton family, along with two to three enslaved people, migrated from Kentucky to Texas in 1834 to establish a sugarcane plantation that we know today as Varner-Hogg Plantation State Historic Site.
After the death of John Patton and his wife Margaretta, Rachel Patton lived as the mistress of Patton Plantation and acted as Columbus Patton’s wife. While the term mistress has a different connotation today, in the antebellum era, a mistress is defined as the white female head of the house, usually in charge of the domestic servants. Rachel’s role would have included selecting the meal menu, decorating the home, hosting guests, selecting the chinaware and more.
How and exactly when Rachel came into her unique position as Mistress is unclear. Sarah Ford, an enslaved woman born on Patton Plantation, recollects “Massa Kit have a Arfican woman from Kentucky for he wife, and dat’s de truth. I ain’t sayin’ iffen she a real wife or not, but all de slaves have to call her Miss Rachel.”
While it was illegal for a white man and a black woman to be married at the time, Rachel and Columbus’ relationship lasted for at least 21 years. We can only guess at the exact nature of their relationship. Although long, their relationship still existed in a deeply oppressive system where she was enslaved and he was her enslaver.
Rachel’s unique position gave her privileges that most enslaved people would not have access to. We know that Rachel lived in the plantation house with Columbus. If you have ever visited Varner-Hogg Plantation, Rachel and Columbus’ room is the upper left side room, closest to the kitchen. We know Rachel was able to go into town and make purchases for herself, on her own horse. She would have had access to the Patton buggy. John Adriance in a court testimony remarked that Rachel “bought dry goods for herself to a larger amount than any wife bought. Her bills with me … her accounts were at least one hundred and fifty dollars a year. Mostly fine dresses.”
Although Rachel never left behind written testimony of her own, her determination to claim what was rightfully hers stands as a testament to her strength. She refused to be silenced or erased.
Rachel remained in Brazoria County in the years that followed, likely working as a housekeeper at various locations. The last known record of her life appears in the 1880 U.S. Census, where she is listed as Rachel Patton: Black, female, 60 years old, widowed and “keeping house.”