Prestien Family

Edited by Ann Chrissos

Henry Prestien (1868-1958) came to the United States in 1883.  He married Catherine Kaiser (1872-1965), who was native born. They had five children:  John (1893-1975); Anna Marie Catherine (1894-?); Emma (1896-1896); Henry (1896-1897); and Ida (1899-?).  Around 1893, the Prestiens began worshipping at St. John’s Evangelical & Reformed Church.  This church became the backbone of the Prestien family for five generations.  John was confirmed there on 24 March 1907.  John and his wife Elizabeth (1894-1987) had three children:  Clarence Christian (1920-1990), Irene (1925-?) and Grace (1929-?).  John and Elizabeth shopped at Castillon’s and Meyer’s stores.  For clothing, they shopped in Maplewood and at Famous Barr in St. Louis.  Louis Koch’s tavern and ice cream parlor was a favorite place for the entire Prestien family.  The adults drank beer and the children ate ice cream.

John’s son, Clarence Christian, married Margaret Augusta Henrietta Anna Staas (1921-?).  They had three sons:  Harold H. (1951), Charles W. (1956), and Donald W. (1959).  Harold married Yvonne Raddas and they had one child: Tyler.  Charles married Pamela Grimm and they had two children: Kimberley Lauren and Timothy Charles.  Donald married Joan Crowley and they had two children:  Benjamin John and Kylie Katherine.

John’s sister, Irene, married William Aldrich.  They had two children:  Karen and Lee Ann.  Karen married Michael Lindner and they had three children: John, Paul and Matthew.  Lee Ann married Philip B. Defani and they had two sons:  Richard and William.

John’s and Irene’s sister Grace married Busch Warren and they had three children:  Mary Lee, Jeanne L. and Susan.  Mary Lee married George Biederman and they had two sons:  Bradley and Geoffrey.  Jeanne married John Buechner and they had two children:  Amanda and Eric.  Susan married Kenneth Buster and they had three children:  Brian, Jason and Klye.

The following Prestiens are buried at St. John’s United Church of Christ Cemetery:  Henry, Henry’s infant son also named Henry, Henry’s infant daughter Emma, Clarence, Elizabeth, John and Margaret. 

Source

Irene Prestien Aldrich and Margaret Staas Prestien were interviewed by Arland Stemme on 7 March 2001.