diff --git a/databases/db/patches/patch-aa b/databases/db/patches/patch-aa
deleted file mode 100644
index a8209ff739b..00000000000
--- a/databases/db/patches/patch-aa
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,47 +0,0 @@
---- ../include/db_cxx.h.orig	Tue Jan 19 18:15:19 1999
-+++ ../include/db_cxx.h	Thu Jun 17 19:02:56 1999
-@@ -300,7 +300,7 @@
- 
-     // no copying
-     DbLog(const DbLog &);
--    operator = (const DbLog &);
-+    DbLog &operator = (const DbLog &);
- 
-     DEFINE_DB_CLASS(DbLog);
- };
-@@ -345,7 +345,7 @@
- private:
-     // no copying
-     DbMpoolFile(const DbMpoolFile &);
--    operator = (const DbMpoolFile &);
-+    DbMpoolFile &operator = (const DbMpoolFile &);
- 
-     DEFINE_DB_CLASS(DbMpoolFile);
- };
-@@ -432,7 +432,7 @@
- 
-     // no copying
-     DbTxnMgr(const DbTxnMgr &);
--    operator = (const DbTxnMgr &);
-+    DbTxnMgr &operator = (const DbTxnMgr &);
- 
-     DEFINE_DB_CLASS(DbTxnMgr);
- };
-@@ -461,7 +461,7 @@
- 
-     // no copying
-     DbTxn(const DbTxn &);
--    operator = (const DbTxn &);
-+    DbTxn &operator = (const DbTxn &);
- 
-     DEFINE_DB_CLASS(DbTxn);
- };
-@@ -730,7 +730,7 @@
- 
-     // no copying
-     DbEnv(const DbEnv &);
--    operator = (const DbEnv &);
-+    DbEnv &operator = (const DbEnv &);
- 
-     ErrorModel error_model_;
-     static void stream_error_function(const char *, char *);
diff --git a/databases/db/patches/patch-ab b/databases/db/patches/patch-ab
deleted file mode 100644
index 2daa738c101..00000000000
--- a/databases/db/patches/patch-ab
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,19 +0,0 @@
---- ../dist/Makefile.in.~1~	Mon Dec  7 11:05:59 1998
-+++ ../dist/Makefile.in	Thu Jun 17 17:08:50 1999
-@@ -141,11 +141,11 @@
- 	$(rm) -f confdefs.h db.h db_int.h db_185.h include.tcl
- 
- prefix=	@prefix@
--bindir=	$(prefix)/BerkeleyDB/bin
--datadir=$(prefix)/BerkeleyDB/share
--includedir=$(prefix)/BerkeleyDB/include
--libdir=	$(prefix)/BerkeleyDB/lib
--mandir=	$(prefix)/BerkeleyDB/docs
-+bindir=	$(prefix)/bin
-+datadir=$(prefix)/share
-+includedir=$(prefix)/include
-+libdir=	$(prefix)/lib
-+mandir=	$(prefix)/share/doc/db
- 
- dmode=	755
- emode=	555