Patricia de la Garza De León
Encyclopedia
Patricia de la Garza De León (1775–1849) was the matriarch of one of the prominent founding families of early Texas. Doña Patricia raised ten children, some of whom helped change the course of history. At age 49, she uprooted her life in 1824 to help her husband Martín De León
establish the predominantly Mexican De León's Colony
. She contributed her inherited assets to the founding of the colony, and helped establish a school and a church. From the onset, she worked to instill a sense of Mexican and Spanish culture in the colony. After the death of her husband, Doña Patricia assumed the role of head of the family. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark
number 6539 placed at Evergreen Cemetery in 1972 acknowledges Patricia de la Garza De León's contribution to Texas. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark
number 6543 placed at Church and Bridge Streets in 1936 denotes the home of Patricia de la Garza De León and Don Martin De León's home in Victoria.
, Mexico
, to a wealthy family headed by her father Felipe de la Garza.
and settled with him at his ranch in Cruillas. Martín sold wild mustangs, mules and cattle in New Orleans. The couple's first child Fernando
was born at the Cruillas ranch in 1798.
The couple moved their base of ranching operations in 1799 to San Patricio County, Texas, where three more children were born. Daughter Candelaria was born in 1800, son Silvestre
in 1802, and daughter Guadalupe in 1804.
The Spanish government granted the family land on the east bank of the Aransas River
, north of Corpus Christi
in 1805. Son Felix was born there in 1806 and son Agapito in 1808. While at this location in 1807, Martín De León registered the family's cattle brand, the first registered brand in what would become Texas.
The family moved to south of the Nueces River
in 1810, where daughter Maria was born that year. Indian depredations increased as the Spanish government withdrew troops. The family moved northward to just outside of San Antonio where three daughters were born. Refugia arrived in 1812, Augustina in 1814 and Francisca in 1818.
and Lavaca
rivers. At age 49, with her four adult children and six minor children, Patricia de la Garza De León uprooted her life to become her husband's partner in the founding of De León's Colony
. She gave her inheritance of $9,800, plus another $300 valuation of cows, horses, and mules, in order to help get the colonization off the ground.
At Victoria, Doña Patricia transplanted cultural traditions of Mexico and Spain to the community. The De León family lived in a log home with a dirt floor. Nevertheless, Doña Patricia filled it with imported furniture provided to her from her family in Mexico. The family kept domestic servants, and the home became a community gathering place. She discouraged her children from using guns, for fear they would be perceived as bandits. She sent her children and grandchildren to school in Mexico and Spain
. When José María Jesús Carbajal
platted the town, she made sure land was set aside for a school and a church. Her donation of $500 in gold helped to build and furnish the church.
in 1833, and left an estate worth $500,000. Fernando took over the colony responsibilities of his father. Doña Patricia managed the family assets and continued her civic work.
. Texas independence was a separate issue. As the issue did with other Mexicans living in Texas, it divided the De León extended family, some of whom helped change the course of history in both Texas and Mexico. Divided loyalties among the Mexicans made them subject to suspicion and prejudice from the new Republic of Texas
government and military establilshment.
Candelaria's husband José Miguel Aldrete was 1835 state land commissioner of Coahuila y Tejas
. Aldrete joined several Texas insurgent groups to resist Santa Anna.
Refugia married José María Jesús Carbajal in 1832. Initially, he teamed up with Fernando De León and Peter Kerr
, to trade livestock for munitions to help his old friend and mentor Stephen F. Austin
. Carbajal, however, felt his loyalties lay with the Mexican people, not the Texas cause. He moved across the Rio Grande
and waged guerilla warfare in Mexico against Santa Anna's political machine. Doña Patricia loaned Carbajal $6,000 for his cause. Fernando later became aide-de-camp to provisional Texas governor James W. Robinson.
Augustina married Plácido Benavides
, who opposed Santa Anna's dictatorship, but felt Texas should remain part of Mexico. Benavides led a unit of Tejano
fighters at the Battle of Goliad
. He was recruited by Stephen F. Austin
for the 1835 Siege of Béxar
to drive Martín Perfecto de Cos
out of Texas. Silvestre fought beside his brother-in-law Plácido at the Siege of Béxar. Benavides earned himself the sobriquet of the "Texas Paul Revere" for his 1836 journey from San Patricio
to Goliad to Victoria, warning residents of the approaching Mexican army.
Doña Patricia's youngest son Agapito was murdered in 1836. In 1972, Recorded Texas Historic Landmark
number 6538 was designated in recognition of Agapito De Leon.
On July 20, 1836, Brigadier General Thomas Jefferson Rusk
ordered Mexican families in the Victoria area to be evacuated in an attempt to stem any assistance being given to Santa Anna. The Carbajal, Benavides and De León families left for New Orleans, forced to abandon their money and possessions. In Louisiana, they lived in poverty, and then moved back with Doña Patricia's family in Soto la Marina. She was able to sell 25,000 acres of land near Garcitias Creek for $10,000 in 1837.
Silvestre De León returned to Victoria in 1842 to try and reclaim the family's property, and was murdered by persons unknown.
Doña Patricia returned to Texas in 1844, only to find her assets had been redistributed among new settlers. In the new climate, she had lost her social standing in the community. She devoted the rest of her life in service to the local Catholic
church.
. Saint Mary's Catholic Church
occupies the site of the De León homestead.
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark
number 6539 placed at Evergreen Cemetery in 1972 acknowledges Patricia de la Garza De León's contribution to Texas. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark
number 6543 placed at Church and Bridge Streets in 1936 denotes the home of Patricia de la Garza De León and Don Martin De León's home in Victoria.
Martín De León
Martín De León was a rancher and wealthy Mexican empresario descended from Spanish aristocracy. He was the patriarch of one of the prominent founding families of early Texas. De León and his wife Patricia de la Garza established De León's Colony, the only predominantly Mexican colony in Texas...
establish the predominantly Mexican De León's Colony
De León's Colony (Texas)
De León's Colony was established by Martín De León in 1824, and was the onlypredominantly Mexican colony in Texas in the United States. Victoria was the center of the colony, which was part of an effort by the Mexican government to settle what would become known as Texas. De León was one of several...
. She contributed her inherited assets to the founding of the colony, and helped establish a school and a church. From the onset, she worked to instill a sense of Mexican and Spanish culture in the colony. After the death of her husband, Doña Patricia assumed the role of head of the family. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark is a designation awarded by the Texas Historical Commission for historically and architecturally significant properties in the state of Texas....
number 6539 placed at Evergreen Cemetery in 1972 acknowledges Patricia de la Garza De León's contribution to Texas. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark is a designation awarded by the Texas Historical Commission for historically and architecturally significant properties in the state of Texas....
number 6543 placed at Church and Bridge Streets in 1936 denotes the home of Patricia de la Garza De León and Don Martin De León's home in Victoria.
Early life
Doña Patricia de la Garza De León was born in 1775 in Soto la Marina, TamaulipasTamaulipas
Tamaulipas officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Tamaulipas is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 43 municipalities and its capital city is Ciudad Victoria. The capital city was named after Guadalupe Victoria, the...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, to a wealthy family headed by her father Felipe de la Garza.
Marriage and children
In 1795, she married Martín De LeónMartín De León
Martín De León was a rancher and wealthy Mexican empresario descended from Spanish aristocracy. He was the patriarch of one of the prominent founding families of early Texas. De León and his wife Patricia de la Garza established De León's Colony, the only predominantly Mexican colony in Texas...
and settled with him at his ranch in Cruillas. Martín sold wild mustangs, mules and cattle in New Orleans. The couple's first child Fernando
Fernando De León
Fernando De León was a co-founder of Victoria, Texas, and the first commissioner and colonization manager of De León's Colony. He fought against Antonio López de Santa Anna. De León was an aide-de-camp to provisional Texas governor James W. Robinson...
was born at the Cruillas ranch in 1798.
The couple moved their base of ranching operations in 1799 to San Patricio County, Texas, where three more children were born. Daughter Candelaria was born in 1800, son Silvestre
Silvestre De León
Silvestre De León was the second son born to the influential De León family in Victoria, Texas. He became the third alcalde of Victoria. De León joined his brother-in-law Plácido Benavides to fight with Stephen F. Austin at the 1835 Siege of Béxar...
in 1802, and daughter Guadalupe in 1804.
The Spanish government granted the family land on the east bank of the Aransas River
Aransas River
The Aransas River is a short river in south Texas in the United States. It drains an area of the south Texas coastal plains into the Gulf of Mexico. It rises in Bee County southwest of Beeville and north of Skidmore, from the confluence of three creeks: Olmos, Aransas, and Poesta...
, north of Corpus Christi
Corpus Christi, Texas
Corpus Christi is a coastal city in the South Texas region of the U.S. state of Texas. The county seat of Nueces County, it also extends into Aransas, Kleberg, and San Patricio counties. The MSA population in 2008 was 416,376. The population was 305,215 at the 2010 census making it the...
in 1805. Son Felix was born there in 1806 and son Agapito in 1808. While at this location in 1807, Martín De León registered the family's cattle brand, the first registered brand in what would become Texas.
The family moved to south of the Nueces River
Nueces River
The Nueces River is a river in the U.S. state of Texas, approximately long. It drains a region in central and southern Texas southeastward into the Gulf of Mexico. It is the southernmost major river in Texas northeast of the Rio Grande...
in 1810, where daughter Maria was born that year. Indian depredations increased as the Spanish government withdrew troops. The family moved northward to just outside of San Antonio where three daughters were born. Refugia arrived in 1812, Augustina in 1814 and Francisca in 1818.
Establishing Victoria, Texas
On April 13, 1824, the provisional Mexican government granted Martín De León an empresario contract to settle forty-one Mexican families on the lower GuadalupeGuadalupe River (Texas)
The Guadalupe River runs from Kerr County, Texas to San Antonio Bay on the Gulf of Mexico. The river is a popular destination for rafters and canoers. Larger cities along the river include New Braunfels, Kerrville, Seguin, Gonzales, Cuero, and Victoria...
and Lavaca
Lavaca River
The Lavaca River is a river in the U.S. state of Texas. It begins in the northeastern part of Gonzales County, and travels generally southeast for 115 miles until it empties into Lavaca Bay, which is a component of Matagorda Bay.-History:...
rivers. At age 49, with her four adult children and six minor children, Patricia de la Garza De León uprooted her life to become her husband's partner in the founding of De León's Colony
De León's Colony (Texas)
De León's Colony was established by Martín De León in 1824, and was the onlypredominantly Mexican colony in Texas in the United States. Victoria was the center of the colony, which was part of an effort by the Mexican government to settle what would become known as Texas. De León was one of several...
. She gave her inheritance of $9,800, plus another $300 valuation of cows, horses, and mules, in order to help get the colonization off the ground.
At Victoria, Doña Patricia transplanted cultural traditions of Mexico and Spain to the community. The De León family lived in a log home with a dirt floor. Nevertheless, Doña Patricia filled it with imported furniture provided to her from her family in Mexico. The family kept domestic servants, and the home became a community gathering place. She discouraged her children from using guns, for fear they would be perceived as bandits. She sent her children and grandchildren to school in Mexico and Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. When José María Jesús Carbajal
José María Jesús Carbajal
José María Jesús Carbajal was a Mexican freedom fighter, who opposed the Centralist government installed by Antonio López de Santa Anna. Carbajal was a direct descendant of Canary Islands settlers who emigrated to San Antonio, Texas in the 18th Century. As a teenager in San Antonio, he was...
platted the town, she made sure land was set aside for a school and a church. Her donation of $500 in gold helped to build and furnish the church.
Death of Martin De León
Martín De León died of choleraCholera
Cholera is an infection of the small intestine that is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The main symptoms are profuse watery diarrhea and vomiting. Transmission occurs primarily by drinking or eating water or food that has been contaminated by the diarrhea of an infected person or the feces...
in 1833, and left an estate worth $500,000. Fernando took over the colony responsibilities of his father. Doña Patricia managed the family assets and continued her civic work.
Exile
The De León extended family, like many Mexicans, were opposed to the regime of Antonio López de Santa AnnaAntonio López de Santa Anna
Antonio de Padua María Severino López de Santa Anna y Pérez de Lebrón , often known as Santa Anna or López de Santa Anna, known as "the Napoleon of the West," was a Mexican political leader, general, and president who greatly influenced early Mexican and Spanish politics and government...
. Texas independence was a separate issue. As the issue did with other Mexicans living in Texas, it divided the De León extended family, some of whom helped change the course of history in both Texas and Mexico. Divided loyalties among the Mexicans made them subject to suspicion and prejudice from the new Republic of Texas
Republic of Texas
The Republic of Texas was an independent nation in North America, bordering the United States and Mexico, that existed from 1836 to 1846.Formed as a break-away republic from Mexico by the Texas Revolution, the state claimed borders that encompassed an area that included all of the present U.S...
government and military establilshment.
Candelaria's husband José Miguel Aldrete was 1835 state land commissioner of Coahuila y Tejas
Coahuila y Tejas
Coahuila y Tejas was one of the constituent states of the newly established United Mexican States under its 1824 Constitution.It had two capitals: first Saltillo, and then Monclova...
. Aldrete joined several Texas insurgent groups to resist Santa Anna.
Refugia married José María Jesús Carbajal in 1832. Initially, he teamed up with Fernando De León and Peter Kerr
Peter Kerr (Texas settler)
Peter Kerr , also known as Peter Carr, was the founder of Burnet, Texas and a member of the Old Three Hundred, the original settlers in Stephen F...
, to trade livestock for munitions to help his old friend and mentor Stephen F. Austin
Stephen F. Austin
Stephen Fuller Austin was born in Virginia and raised in southeastern Missouri. He was known as the Father of Texas, led the second, but first legal and ultimately successful colonization of the region by bringing 300 families from the United States. The capital of Texas, Austin in Travis County,...
. Carbajal, however, felt his loyalties lay with the Mexican people, not the Texas cause. He moved across the Rio Grande
Rio Grande
The Rio Grande is a river that flows from southwestern Colorado in the United States to the Gulf of Mexico. Along the way it forms part of the Mexico – United States border. Its length varies as its course changes...
and waged guerilla warfare in Mexico against Santa Anna's political machine. Doña Patricia loaned Carbajal $6,000 for his cause. Fernando later became aide-de-camp to provisional Texas governor James W. Robinson.
Augustina married Plácido Benavides
Plácido Benavides
Plácido Benavides was an early Mexican-born settler in De Leon's Colony, Victoria County, Texas. Benavides earned himself the sobriquet of the Paul Revere of Texas for his 1836 journey from San Patricio to Goliad to Victoria, warning residents of the approaching Mexican army. He was twice elected...
, who opposed Santa Anna's dictatorship, but felt Texas should remain part of Mexico. Benavides led a unit of Tejano
Tejano
Tejano or Texano is a term used to identify a Texan of Mexican heritage.Historically, the Spanish term Tejano has been used to identify different groups of people...
fighters at the Battle of Goliad
Battle of Goliad
The Battle of Goliad was the second skirmish of the Texas Revolution. In the early-morning hours of October 10, 1835, rebellious Texas settlers attacked the Mexican Army soldiers garrisoned at Presidio La Bahía, a fort near the Mexican Texas settlement of Goliad...
. He was recruited by Stephen F. Austin
Stephen F. Austin
Stephen Fuller Austin was born in Virginia and raised in southeastern Missouri. He was known as the Father of Texas, led the second, but first legal and ultimately successful colonization of the region by bringing 300 families from the United States. The capital of Texas, Austin in Travis County,...
for the 1835 Siege of Béxar
Siege of Bexar
The Siege of Béxar was an early campaign of the Texas Revolution in which a volunteer Texan army successfully defeated Mexican forces at San Antonio de Béxar . Texians had become disillusioned with the Mexican government as President Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna's tenure became increasingly...
to drive Martín Perfecto de Cos
Martín Perfecto de Cos
Martín Perfecto de Cos was a 19th-century Mexican general. He was married to Lucinda López de Santa Anna, sister of Antonio López de Santa Anna.-Background:Cós was born in Vera Cruz in the year 1800, the son of an attorney...
out of Texas. Silvestre fought beside his brother-in-law Plácido at the Siege of Béxar. Benavides earned himself the sobriquet of the "Texas Paul Revere" for his 1836 journey from San Patricio
San Patricio, Texas
San Patricio is a city in Nueces and San Patricio Counties in the U.S. state of Texas. The population was 318 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, San Patricio, located at , has a total area of 3.9 square miles , of which, 3.8 square miles of it is...
to Goliad to Victoria, warning residents of the approaching Mexican army.
Doña Patricia's youngest son Agapito was murdered in 1836. In 1972, Recorded Texas Historic Landmark
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark is a designation awarded by the Texas Historical Commission for historically and architecturally significant properties in the state of Texas....
number 6538 was designated in recognition of Agapito De Leon.
On July 20, 1836, Brigadier General Thomas Jefferson Rusk
Thomas Jefferson Rusk
Thomas Jefferson Rusk was an early political and military leader of the Republic of Texas, serving as its first Secretary of War as well as a general at the Battle of San Jacinto. He was later a U.S. politician and served as a Senator from Texas from 1846 until his suicide...
ordered Mexican families in the Victoria area to be evacuated in an attempt to stem any assistance being given to Santa Anna. The Carbajal, Benavides and De León families left for New Orleans, forced to abandon their money and possessions. In Louisiana, they lived in poverty, and then moved back with Doña Patricia's family in Soto la Marina. She was able to sell 25,000 acres of land near Garcitias Creek for $10,000 in 1837.
Silvestre De León returned to Victoria in 1842 to try and reclaim the family's property, and was murdered by persons unknown.
Doña Patricia returned to Texas in 1844, only to find her assets had been redistributed among new settlers. In the new climate, she had lost her social standing in the community. She devoted the rest of her life in service to the local Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
church.
Death
Doña Patricia died in 1849, and is buried at Evergreen Cemetery in Victoria, Texas. Before her death, she had donated the original De León homestead to the Catholic Church. She also donated altar vessels and a gold monstranceMonstrance
A monstrance is the vessel used in the Roman Catholic, Old Catholic, and Anglican churches to display the consecrated Eucharistic host, during Eucharistic adoration or Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. Created in the medieval period for the public display of relics, the monstrance today is...
. Saint Mary's Catholic Church
Saint Mary's Catholic Church (Victoria, Texas)
Saint Mary's Catholic Church is a historic church at 101 W. Church in Victoria, Texas.It was built in 1903 and added to the National Register in 1986....
occupies the site of the De León homestead.
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark is a designation awarded by the Texas Historical Commission for historically and architecturally significant properties in the state of Texas....
number 6539 placed at Evergreen Cemetery in 1972 acknowledges Patricia de la Garza De León's contribution to Texas. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark is a designation awarded by the Texas Historical Commission for historically and architecturally significant properties in the state of Texas....
number 6543 placed at Church and Bridge Streets in 1936 denotes the home of Patricia de la Garza De León and Don Martin De León's home in Victoria.