[3] Like the vast majority of slaves at the time, Patton's mother was sent away from her task-maker who had grown rich from others toil, with nothing, forcing her to suffer from severe poverty.

[2] However, by diligence and working early in the morning and late at night, she managed to provide for all of her children and send them to the few months of school that were occasionally taught.

Her older sisters sent her eight dollars with which she was able to pay for the tuition and the necessary books for the months left of college[2] Though her brother's house was more than two miles away and the weather conditions were not always in her favour, she managed to be always the most punctual in the class.

In the search for a cure and an effective treatment for the Guinea worm, Patton developed the methods of "strapping" and "shafting", offering directions to other medical professionals about said techniques.

[7] After her two-year long experience in Liberia as a medical missionary, Patton returned to the United States in order to continue her education with a post-graduate course in medicine.

Patton was a very respected member in her community, for her monthly ten-dollar donation to the Freedmen's Aid Society[8] and was often called "Gold Lady" due to her generosity.