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Biography
Miss. Assumpta Owens was born on the 29th of June, 1867 in Tullamore, King's County (Modern Day, Co. Offaly), Ireland to Catholic lumber merchants, William and Mary Owens. Her mother was a former schoolteacher. Assumpta was the 3rd of 4 children, and the only girl. Assumpta received a basic primary level of education and nothing further. Growing up, she had very little issues. No incidents. And…well…just your standard childhood. Happy. Warm. After primary school, she was taught the workings of the household and was groomed by her mother to try “marry up” and to look for suitors. Assumpta was content with this. She knew (and got along with) almost every boy her age, she had a small dowry, she was favoured by God himself in her looks. Everything was coming up Sumps! However, this wouldn't be a nurse's story without something going awry. Assumpta had been searching for a husband for 2 years at this stage, a cousin from Dublin came home for Easter and explained that she was now a nurse. Enamoured, Assumpta repeatedly asked questions to her cousin all of Easter week. Her mother and father were also keen on the questions. It seemed to be a heat of the moment choice, but by the end of April, Assumpta announced that she wished to become a nurse, or at least working with people. Her father and mother were incredibly skeptical at first, but after discussing it, they permitted her. That summer, Assumpta registered for a nurses-in-training course in the convent and passed with flying colours, and by September, she was given her first position. Opening the envelope, praying it be Tullamore, Portlaoise, or Athlone…Mullingar at the furthest. Steevens Hospital, Dublin. Sent all the way to Dublin. Steevens Hospital. Assumpta regretted every choice she made now. She complained to her parents, but both were keen users of tough love. Mr. & Mrs. Owens essentially told her “Tough. We spent nearly two months worth of wages." They told her that she wanted this and now she needs to follow through. And with that they accompanied their daughter off to the Capital on St. Stephens day. The day she was due to start. Assumpta was incredibly reluctant, but bit her tongue. The reality had set in now that she had committed to something far beyond her cousin's adorable uniform. In her last bit of luxury, a christmas present almost, from the 26th of December to the 2nd of January, her parents placed her in the Shelbourne Hotel, nearly 3 months worth of wages there; until her uncle, Mr. Hugh Owens, came back from visiting his wife's family in Athlone, Co. Westmeath. Moving in on the 3rd of January, 1884. Assumpta started on the 26th in Steevens as a nurse's assistant, since she excelled in her course in Gynecology and Urology, she was doomed to shadow Midwives. She hated it. For the first 5 months she would go to confessions every Wednesday and beg the priest to let God take her before she “kills everyone in there.” A very young Assumpta relied heavily on God to rescue her, or in the very least kill her. She did of course make friends, but all her friends were living their dream, even the other midwives. Steevens Hospital had its own issues. Notoriously one of the dirtiest hospitals in Dublin. 2 years had passed and while Assumpta had accepted her fate in Steevens, she never stopped trying to leave it. Until finally. Her superior, to her shock, said that Assumpta had “excelled the limits” of the other assistants and was on par with some of the Veteran Midwives. Assumpta thought she was joking. She had put no effort in? When she asked her Matron, she responded that Assumpta was the hardest working girl, and was moved. A blessing. When Assumpta hear the word “Rotunda” she wanted to die inside. Both of misery, that it wasn't back home, but also exhilaration. It was every Midwifes dream to be sent to Utopia. The Rotunda Hospital. Where water is wine and the floors are made of gold. To Assumpta, after hearing her upgrade, the Gardens of Babylon would be slums after what she endured in Steevens. Assumpta, warmed up to the position, was now a full Midwife in the Rotunda Hospital in Dublin and by 1886, she realised that after those 5 years of hate, she was just in the wrong environment. After this? Well…nothing…Assumpta was now happy, and her work ethics only grew by the day. The young girl climbed the ranks, never being up top, but that was how she liked it. She constantly put in recommendations for her girls back in Steevens’, and although many weren't accepted she still got a few out of there. She flourished socially and was finally happy, forgetting in the first place that she only wanted to do this as something to fill in time until she got married. In 1892, her Uncle fell feeble, and her Aunt couldn't care for him alone, Assumpta quickly became his full time carer when off the clock, and it kept her busy. Again, how she liked it. In 1893, she went home for Christmas and whilst shopping with her sister-in-law. She ran into a Mr. David Egan of Ard, Geashill, only 15 minutes or so outside of town. He wasn't from a wealthy family, but wealthier than the Owens’. The pair didn't hit it off well, yet kept running into one another in town that day. Teasing one another. In 1895, she began to receive taunting, jesting letters from David. How did he even find her? She left his letters unanswered for 2 months until he missed one week, and she finally responded. The pair struck up a banter like correspondence…and on a couple of documents, she may have subconsciously begun to say her address was his address. In 1896, her Uncle passed away, devastated but still a working girl, she powered through and still lived with her Aunt in Dublin. A month or two later, she received a large bouquet of flowers delivered to the Nurses station. All of her friends and colleagues were teasing her that he was going to propose, and she laughed it off. Then she received a letter stating that he was coming to see her in Dublin. And he did… And he did indeed propose to her. … And she did indeed accept it. Assumpta had her last day on the last day of May 1896, it was later said as an urban legend that was the only day in history that neither a woman was in labour, nor a baby was born in the Rotunda Hospital, Dublin. Obviously the records beg to differ, but it was a nice tale for the nurses. Assumpta moved to Geashill with her Fiancée and were wed on the 8th of January, 1897 and welcomed a baby girl, Florence, that September. Then came Emmett in November, 1898. And finally Stanislaus in July of 1901. Married life was her goal, and her goal she made. She had a long and fulfilling career in Midwifery and was now married with children. Assumpta was happy at home and kept in contact with all of her friends from work, many would go on to get married as well. In 1915, she saw her eldest, Florence, get married to a Mr. Lynam. By 1916. David was all well. Florence was expecting a child the following February. Emmett was working the mills. And Stanislaus was in trouble in school every week. It wasn't until she received a letter in August that her services would be needed and she would have the opportunity to be placed on ships, and she signed up to be a VAD. She was a Catholic, and like millions of Irish people, was a staunch Nationalist, but it was only the government she loathed. There was a war on, and there were sons, husbands and fathers in need. There was a platoon of women who needed an extra set of skilled hands and the Rotunda dug her back up. She was confused at first, why her? She wasn't ever head or vice nurse, let alone matron. She wrote a letter to her Matron and the board, grateful but only expressing confusion, she hasn't been there in 20 years. But before the response could come, she was called at urgency to make her way to England immediately. Assumpta was called for placement on the H.M.H.S Britannic one day before the letter came back. Her husband and Son-In-Law joked about the Titanic after learning just exactly “who” the Britannic was, to which Assumpta laughed as well. “Lightning doesn't strike twice, g’way out of tha’. Ma’ll be fine” Stanislaus Egan, September, 1916. By September, Mrs. Assumpta Egan was now an official VAD Nurse.
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