Overcoming seemingly insurmountable odds, Bethenia Owens-Adair achieved her goals through determination and hard work, politely refusing all offers of help in raising her young son and in achieving the education to become the first woman doctor with a medical degree in the State of Oregon.

Bethenia Owens-Adair (1840-1926)

Bethenia Angelina Owens-Adair is best remembered historically as a social reformer and one of Oregon’s first women doctors with a medical degree. She is remembered in Pacific County as a very young, very determined, and very successful teacher.

The third of 11 children, she was born in Van Buren County, Missouri in 1840. Three years later the family journeyed west as part of the first major wagon train migration to Oregon which Jesse Applegate helped lead. At age 14, barely able to read or write, Bethenia married Legrand Henderson Hill and, at 16, was a mother. At 19, facing the stigma of divorce, Bethenia left Hill, took back her name, and returned to school.

At first, Bethenia was required to attend primary school alongside young children. Frustrated by her inability to read, write, and financially provide for herself and her son, Owens became an ambitious student. After completing the beginning courses, she continued her education in Astoria with her son George, and nephew Frank. Upon finishing these classes, Owens had accumulated roughly eight years of schooling. Throughout this period, Bethenia turned down many offers by her family to help finance her education or to take young George, relieving her of that extra responsibility. To all such offers, Bethenia’s answer was a polite but firm, “No thank you.”

Two years later, Bethenia had graduated from the ranks of the students and had already achieved some success as a teacher. She had taught for three months near Astoria, for another three months in Bruceport on Shoalwater Bay, and then looked across the bay to Oysterville where her friends Capt. Joel Munson and his wife lived. Soon, she was offered a teaching position in Oysterville which, though it could boast the completion of its first school building, had been unable to keep a teacher, even for a regular term of three months.

The school board members there, learning of her diligence in acquiring her own education, invited her to teach a term at the new Oysterville School. They promised if she could finish the three months, she would be known as “Oysterville’s first regular teacher.” Bethenia gave her conditions to the job offer with full knowledge that the first two teachers hired in Oysterville had not lasted the term due to very poor discipline in the school.

Young Bethenia replied to their offer by telling the board members, “I’ll teach and I’ll stick it out, but only if you’ll promise to stand behind every decision I make to keep order.” It took a bit of time, what with some students of about her own age, and towering high above her slender, petite (but determined) form. When her three months were up, the Oysterville people donated money to keep her another term, which she also completed. The Oysterville School Board kept their promise to Bethenia and she is listed as the first school teacher in Oysterville.

The year was 1862.