Lloyd Prestwich

by Denyce Cribbs

In going through our library’s surname files last summer, I was looking for stories that might be interesting to our members and others.  I indexed the list of names that we had files for, with most containing genealogies and records that could easily be found online these days.  But there were some gems, and I would like to share one of those here.

I came across the transcribed tape-recording that Lloyd Prestwich did with his niece, Margie, on 14 Nov 1974.  In the nine pages of the recorded interview, Lloyd describes his childhood in Utah, his later move to Idaho, and the memories he holds of his parents, his upbringing and his siblings.  Here he describes his recollection of his father, George Prestwich, Sr.

My earliest recollection of my parents was when we lived in Lehi, Utah.  I remember my father as a rather gentle man, not very prone to correct or abuse anyone.  I remember he was working on the railroad at the time and sometimes was away overnight.  Also, that occasionally he would let me go on the train with him, which went down a branch line.  I believe they called it the San Pedro Line at that time.  Many people who were on the train would give me candy and other things to me.  It was a treat.  I can vividly remember the beautiful curly hair he had which turned snow white in his later life but he never lost it.  He also had a mustache, which he took great pains to keep waxed and curled on the ends.  He was a happy man and had a hearty laugh.  He liked people.

Lloyd goes on to describe his life without indoor plumbing, working on the sugar beet farms in Idaho, playing baseball with his brothers and sisters, going to town dances as a teenager.  He describes his life as modest, but always with good food, shelter, clothes on their backs, and parents who loved them.  His story is rich with details that you could never get from a typical genealogy record.

Margie, I don’t know if this will be of any benefit to you but our life was the life of just an ordinary family.  Unless you are an artist or writer, it is difficult to take family situations like this and make them into any great importance.  Again I stress, we were just an ordinary family.  We did as most people in those days. We associated with people of our own age and, as far as the older people were concerned, there wasn’t much partying especially among those who were on the wage level of my parents.

Lloyd relates what happens to each of his siblings, and notes that he is the last one living at the time.  He stresses that he had a life well-lived.  Consider recording an interview with one of your relatives.  Their memories can provide a wealth of information that could be lost to time.  Tape recorders and tapes aren’t required anymore.  Affordable, small digital recording devices can be purchased which will hold the entire interview, so you can preserve both your loved one’s memories and voice.  It’s easy!!