Bethenia Angelina Owens-Adair

Dr. Bethenia Angelina Owens-Adair (February 7, 1840 – September 11, 1926) was an American social reformer, advocate for eugenics, and one of the first female physicians in Oregon.

Early life Bethenia Angelina Owens was born on February 7, 1840, in Van Buren County, Missouri to Tom and Sarah (Damron) Owens. The family settled in the Clatsop Plains and later moved to Roseburg in the Umpqua Valley.

Owens' parents were successful homesteaders, focusing their business primarily on cattle. Throughout Owens' life, her parents lent financial support to their children. According to Owens' memoir, her father came to Oregon with 50 cents, which he grew to twenty-thousand dollars within a few years.

From 1843 to 1853, the family resided in the Clatsop Plains region, living and working cattle herds on their 640 acres of land. During this period of her life, Owens often served as the family nurse and nanny, taking care of her siblings, and helping with work around the farm. It was during the first thirteen years of her life that she gained skills such as horseback riding, cooking, sewing, cattle rearing, and general homemaking.

First marriage Bethenia Owens, age 14, and Legrand Henderson Hill, in his early 20s, were married on May 4, 1854. It was a small ceremony attended only by their close family and officiating pastor. Owen's dowry included her horse, Queen, several cows, fabric, and furniture. Shortly after their marriage, the couple moved onto a 320-acre tract of land which Hill purchased on credit, a few miles from Owen's family home. The couple began to build a home together on their land; however, it was never fully completed. Hill reportedly spent his time hunting or reading, rather than prioritizing the construction of the home. Although skilled in carpentry, Hill never settled into a career. This led the couple into financial difficulty, with Hill eventually selling all of Owen's dowry, excluding the horse. The Owens sold their property and incomplete cabin to the previous owner, and at the request of Hills' parents, the couple moved to Yreka, California in 1856, where they purchased a small property so Hill could mine for gold.

Career Owens provided for herself and her son by performing a variety of jobs. Although her family, especially her father, offered to support her and her child, Owens refused their assistance and took it upon herself to make a living. Initially, she found work nursing the sick, ironing, washing, and cooking, and eventually decided to pursue a career in teaching. While visiting her sister Diana and brother in-law, John, she asked to begin a school in Clatsop. Sixteen students showed up on the first day of a three-month term.

While teaching, Owens continued her studies and took side jobs, such as sewing, to accumulate savings. She eventually was able to save enough to build a house in Astoria. However, in 1865, as her reputation as a teacher spread, she was offered a position in a different area. Rather than leave her home, Owens decided that teaching was no longer financially practical and began to consider other lines of employment. At this time, Owens' former husband, Legrand Hill, came seeking a reconciliation. Feeling threatened, she left her home in Astoria and went to live with her parents in Roseburg, Oregon. Her brother-in-law suggested she take up millinery. Owens had little knowledge of the profession, but decided to teach herself and open her own hat shop. Her shop was successful until Mrs. Jane Stokes opened a competing hat shop across the street. To stay in business and learn about current trends, Owens traveled to San Francisco to train under the milliner Madame Fouts.

Medical school In 1871, at age 31, Owens left Oregon to pursue a medical education in Philadelphia. She initially attempted to seek admission to Jefferson College, but was rejected due to her sex. Owens then applied to the Philadelphia Eclectic School, but did not have enough experience to be accepted. That summer, she attended tutoring session with Dr. Samuels and was subsequently admitted to the Philadelphia Eclectic School. After a year of study, Owens graduated from the Philadelphia Eclectic School and returned to Oregon to open a medical practice. She received major backlash in Roseburg for being a female physician, leading her to move her practice to Portland. She became one of the first medically trained female doctors in the western United States. She implemented asepsis, a new method which emphasized germ theory and the sterilization of medical implements and places.

In 1877, Owens decided to return to medical school to train as a surgeon. She returned to the East Coast with letters of recommendation in hopes to finally be admitted to Jefferson College, however, she was once again rejected on account of her sex. At the recommendation of Dr. Samuel David Gross, she applied to The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and was admitted to the two-year surgical program there.

In June 1880, Owens graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in medicine and surgery. Her work began to take priority as her business expanded, and Adair and John moved back to manage the farm in Oregon, so that she could focus on her responsibilities. She continued to travel and work, spending time with various family members and returning to live during the summer months on the coast with Adair for the remainder of their marriage.thumb Human Sterilization: Social and Legislative Aspects, to examine Human Sterilization and Eugenics to improve the human race.

Eugenics advocacy Owen published several written works, including Human Sterilization: Social and Legislative Aspects. After retiring from medical practice, she actively promoted the eugenics movement and human sterilization. Owens became interested in the idea of human sterilization idea years earlier when she went to the Oregon State Insane Asylum. She waited to make her stance on the subject public due to the controversial nature of eugenics and out of concern for the financial wellbeing of her practice. Despite the opposition, on February 18, 1913, Governor Oswald West signed House Bill 69.

Other activism Owens was an advocate for women's suffrage and the temperance movement. She occasionally wrote articles for the New Northwest Newspaper on women's suffrage. Owens worked alongside well-known reformers such as Abigail Scott Duniway and Susan B. Anthony, and Anthony even supported Owens' ambition to become a doctor.

Death Owens died on September 11, 1926, aged 86, in Clatsop County. She died of an inflamed heart lining and is buried at Ocean View Cemetery in Astoria, Oregon.