Christian GERTSCH

                   Grandmother Gertsch was born 5 June 1840 at Wengen, Bern Switzerland. Shedied at Midway, Utah 29 August 1924 of a stroke, at the age of 81.

Grandmother was a Gertsch before she married a Gertsch, but they were notrelatives. She had two brothers namely; Christian and Friedrich. Gritz UmLehn, is Friedrich's son and many of us have met. Grandmother had threesisters. Marianna, who married Johannes Boss, Susana Gertsch, FeuzKasper, and Magdalana Gertsch Weiss. When Marianna Boss died,grandmother's daughter Margaritha (Aunt Maggie Boss) married Johannes.Marianna had 12 children which Aunt Maggie became step-mother, besideshaving 9 children of her own.

Grandmother worked extrememly hard all of her life. she would weave linenand make special lace with pins. This lace was sold to the tourists forabout 50 cents a yard. The linen she weaved was used to make feather bedticking. Besides her weaving she sold bread at her home. No one had ovensto bake. She would get the bread from Lauterbrunnen 5 miles down thevalley, and have a little store in her home.

Often she would go on the hillside to gather wood. Once while gatheringwood, she broke her leg, and had to be hospitalized for one month. Shesuffered so greatly that she had to be placed on a sheet. This experencewas costly, as the family depended on the money earned by her.

Grandmother was a devoted mother. She had the reputation of being a veryclean housekeeper. She possedssed her immaculate habits in her old age.On her Last birthday the Relief Society had a party for her. She worriedconsiderably because her rhumatism kept her from cleaning the cellarbefore they came. She loved children. She would keep a blue porcelain cupfilled with lemon drops in her cupboard, which she would give to hergrandchildren for any service rendered to her. She would also give themcake, or a piece of her bread spread with cream, sugar, and maybe evenjelly. (this was her own favorite treat.) She tried to make a happy home,although she suffered from extreme headaches and rhumetism, all her life.Once she was bedridden for two years she would try to brighten theHolidays by making home made stockings and mittens for the children. AtXmas Eve they would have a special treat (whipped cream and lap chuckenand delicious Zaffa bread. Often tourists would give them chocalate. AtHoliday season they would count out walnuts and give each equal amounts.These and nuts had been gathered throughout the year and were saved forthe Xmas season. On special holidays they would be permitted to climb themountain at Kleine Schailegg. This one time they were allowed to buychucken in the resturants on top these mountains.

At Xmas time the neighbors would dress as Santa Claus. Once SantaKidnapped Maggie, which caused a lot of excitment amoung the otherchildren.

Grandmother didn't believe Mormonism at first. It was extremely difficultfor her to immagrate and she wept bitterly as she bid her friends andloved ones goodbye. The Gertsch family were the only family in all ofWengen to accept the gospel. She imigrated to late in life to learn theEnglish language. Besides sickness, loneliness and privation, she wasrequired to go through widowhood. She become a widow when she wassixty-eight years old. Even though she endured much she said that shenever regretted any sacrafice she was called upon to make for the gospel.They willingly went without so that their only son Conrad could return toSwitzerland and proclaim the gospel. Grandfather had injured his thumb atthe time this call came, but he insisted that Conrad would forget abouthim and go as skeduled. Valiant is the name for our grandparents whosacrificed so much for our happiness.

Written by Nephi Probst