Christian was born in Hartha near Altenburg, Saxony, which is close to Leipzig in present-day eastern Germany. After attending the village school in nearby Braunshain, he got his apprenticeship as a bricklayer and married Justine. She came from Oberkossa.
Christian joined the local archeological society in 1849 when he discovered a Roman burial ground dating from the ninth century. For many years he submitted reports of his archeological finds which were published in the society's chronicles of the local history. Also in 1849, while renovating the parsonage for the Lumpzig church of which he was a member, he discovered the carved altar shrine of the former Braunshain church dating from the fifteenth century and restored it. This shrine now stands on the altar of the church.
Acting as the Lumpzig priest in 1851, Christian carefully maintained the village chronicle. He gave the welcome speech for the new priest on 6 January 1852 and was meanwhile elected to the vestry board. In 1853, being the district councilor, he started to keep the community book of Hartha.
The Kertscher family lived in a house that Christian probably helped his father build and bought from his mother on 3 December 1838. In December 1865, a fire damaged the house and a nasty rumor circulated that Christian started the fire himself, but the court investigation didn't prove anything. His reputation was tarnished however, and perhaps this is why he left for America. He sold the house to Christian Bechstadt in 1867, and it is still owned by the Bechstadt family to this day. At first Christian didn't expect to stay forever in America. Leaving his family behind, he traveled to Leipzig and then Bremen. He crossed the ocean aboard the Bremen bark Theresa in a cabin between decks behind the stern, arriving at Baltimore on 28 October.
He settled in Fillmore, WI where two of his second cousins, Mrs. Augustine Yahr and Mrs. Sophia Seidemann, had previously settled in 1848 and 1857 respectively. He continued his occupation as a stonecutter and bricklayer, earning money to bring over the rest of his family. Emelie and Emil came aboard the Weser to New York on 25 July 1868. Henriette, Ida, Friedrick, and their mother came on the Smidt to New York on 2 December of the same year. Ernestine arrived on the Bremen in New York on 19 May 1870.
Christian purchased his homestead on 22 August 1868 from Christian and Caroline Kelck for $350. Christian Kelck later married Christian Kertscher's daughter Ernestine after Caroline's death. Christian Kertscher sold the property to his son Emil on 31 March 1879, whose son William replaced the log house with a new one.
Christian joined the Wisconsin State Historical Society and continued to correspond with the archeological society back in Germany. He attended St. Martin's United Church of Christ in Fillmore. After he committed suicide by poisoning himself with paris green (an insecticide), Justine lived the last years of her life with her daughter Ida and son-in-law Martin in Fremont, WI.
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Justine Kertscher
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