Texas history is crammed with strong women, who stood up to the thorns, droughts and general chaos they frequently faced. Those who were outside the mainstream of history may become forgotten. One such women was Suzanna O’Docharty of San Patricio, Texas.
Suzanna, a tall red-head, became a civil leader in little San Patricio, a new colony of Irish immigrants to Texas. Her husband William O’Docharty surveyed the little town and was its first Alcalde.
She helped develop the arrangements between San Patricio colonists and the people of Matamoros, Catholics all. That meeting culminated in a banquet held on Banquete Creek, approximately at the town site of present Banquete, Texas. El Lugar de Banquete became an annual event.
Suzanna, a devout catholic, sympathized with her Mexican friends during the Texas revolution. After Santa Ana’s surrender at San Jacinto, Suzanna moved her family to Matamoros. When a semblance of civic law was established in south Texas, Suzanna returned to San Patricio. Once again a civic leader, she taught the town’s children in her home.
According to the Handbook of Texas, “Her legacy of red hair marked generations of O’Dochartys as a badge of honor.”
With a nod to my favorite red-headed classmate,
Dac Crossly
October 26, 2016
“You must give up the life you planned in order to have the life that is waiting for you. If the path before you is clear, you’re probably on someone else’s path.” – Joseph Campbell.