Marvyne Elisabeth Betsch (1935 - 2005)

Born 13 Jan 1935 in Jacksonville, Duval, Florida, United States

Ancestors

Died 5 Sep 2005 at age 70 in Florida, United States

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Biography

MaVynee Betsch is Notable.

MaVynee Oshun Betsch was an American environmentalist and an activist. She was known as the "Beach Lady" for her work educating the public on black history and the environmental importance of American Beach. ^[1]

MaVynee, as she preferred to be called, was born 13 Jan 1935 to John Thomas Betsch Sr. and Mary Frances Lewis in Jacksonville, Florida. ^[2] In 1940 Marvyne (age 5) was living with her parents and a younger sister, Johnnette, age 3 in Jacksonville, Duval, Florida. ^[3]

Her great-grandfather, A.L. Lewis, was one of the founders of the African American Industrial Benefit Association, subsequently renamed Afro-American Life Insurance Company. He was a major businessman, civic leader and philanthropist. The insurance company that he founded was the first insurance company in the state of Florida, and he became Jacksonville's first black millionaire.

In the 1950 census Marvyne (age 15) was living with parents and siblings, Johnetta, John, Jr. and Mildred in Jacksonville, Duval, Florida, United States.^[4]

Education

MaVynee attended public schools in Jacksonville and Washington, D. C., and a private Methodist, all girls middle and high school, Boylan Haven School in Jacksonville.

She graduated in 1955 with a double major in voice and piano from the Conservatory at Oberlin College.^[5]

MaVynee went to Europe following her graduation. In 1962, she returned to Jacksonville and began her study of conservation. She moved to American Beach, a place her great-grandfather A.L. Lewis purchased in 1935 for the “recreation and relaxation without humiliation” of African Americans during the era of segregation. MaVynee Betsch, known as the unofficial historian of American Beach, directed her passionate advocacy of the environment to the preservation of her beloved beach.^[6]The Beach Lady, as she came to be called, insured that the world knew about her family's rich history in Florida and the accomplishments of her great-grandfather.

MaVynee passed away in 2005.^[7][8] She was cremated, and her ashes scattered at American Beach, Amelia Island, Florida.

An admirer of hers wrote: The Beach Lady as she is so fondly called was so connected to the environment ...It was as though she was a part of the tide as it would come ashore. She was in sync with the sea turtles and the sun gleaming on the Atlantic Ocean. It was as though her thoughts could ride the waves to where we came from in Africa.

Honors

• Gullah/Geechee Anointed Spirit Award.
• The Lucy Terry Prince award March 24, 2000. (Although best known as the author of the first poem composed by an African American woman, Lucy Terry Prince was a remarkable woman whose many accomplishments included arguing a case before the Supreme Court. Lucy was stolen from Africa as an infant and sold to Ebenezer Wells of Deerfield, Massachusetts).

Sources

1. ↑ Wikipedia contributors. (2023, February 6). MaVynee Betsch. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 15:32, February 26, 2023, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=MaVynee_Betsch&oldid=1137845919
2. ↑ 1867-1945 Census: "Florida, U.S., State Census, 1867-1945"
   Page: 7; Line: 38
   Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 1506 #2068837 (accessed 26 February 2023)
   Masogue E Betsch (0) daughter in household of J T Betsch (34) in Precinct 20, Orange. Born in Florida.
3. ↑ 1940 Census:"1940 United States Federal Census"
   Year: 1940; Census Place: Jacksonville, Duval, Florida; Roll: m-t0627-00624; Page: 9B; Enumeration District: 68-71
   Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 2442 #129341539 (accessed 26 February 2023)
   Marvyne Betsch (5), single daughter, in household of John T Betsch (39) in Jacksonville, Duval, Florida. Born in Florida.
4. ↑ 1950 Census: "1950 United States Federal Census"
   United States of America, Bureau of the Census; Washington, D.C.; Seventeenth Census of the United States, 1950; Record Group: Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790-2007; Record Group Number: 29; Residence Date: 1950; Home in 1950: Jacksonville, Duval, Florida; Roll: 4543; Sheet Number: 3; Enumeration District: 68-149
   Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 62308 #81418358 (accessed 26 February 2023)
   Marvyne Betsch (15), single daughter, in household of John T Betsch (48) in Jacksonville, Duval, Florida, USA. Born in Florida.
5. ↑ 1954 School Yearbook:"U.S., School Yearbooks, 1900-2016"
   "U.S., School Yearbooks, 1880-2012"; School Name: Oberlin College; Year: 1954
   Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 1265 #290950900 (accessed 26 February 2023)
   Name: Marvyne Betsch; Yearbook Date: 1954; School: Oberlin College; School Location: Oberlin, Ohio, USA.
6. ↑ https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/timesunion/name/mavynee-betsch-obituary?id=26538927
7. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/91185040/mavynee-oshun-betsch: accessed 26 February 2023), memorial page for MaVynee Oshun “The Beach Lady” Betsch (13 Jan 1935–5 Sep 2005), Find a Grave Memorial ID 91185040; Cremated, Ashes scattered, Ashes buried and scattered at American Beach, Amelia Island, Florida; Maintained by Thousandwinds (contributor 47530874).
8. ↑ https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/timesunion/name/mavynee-betsch-obituary?id=26538927

See also:

• The Beach Lady Gullah Geechee Sacred Ancestor
• Fernandina Beach
• Passenger List: "New York State, Passenger and Crew Lists, 1917-1967"
  The National Archives at Washington, D.C.; Washington, D.C.; NAI Number: 2848504; Record Group Title: Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, 1787-2004; Record Group Number: 85; Series Number: A3998; NARA Roll Number: 586
  Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 1277 #13116326 (accessed 26 February 2023)
  Name: Marvyne E Betsch; Arrival Age: 26; Birth Date: 13 Jan 1935; Birth Place: Jax, Fla; Arrival Date: 11 Oct 1961; Arrival Place: New York, New York, USA.