Joseph Kesing was a son of Goedman Kesing and Lena Louteran. His parents were married in Amsterdam 19 January 1850 and had in total nine children, among them Joseph in 1862. Four of Joseph's sisters deceased already before the war and were interred in the Jewish Cemeteries of Muiderberg and Diemen. One brother died in April 1943 in Amsterdam and was also buried in Diemen. The four others, among them Joseph self, were killed in the Shoah.
4 August 1909 Joseph Kesing married in Weesp Leentje Wittenburg, a daughter of Salomon Wittenburg and Rachel Zeeman. The couple had one daughter in 1910, Helena, who married 18 July 1942 in Amsterdam Machiel Gaarkeuken. Both were killed in the Holocaust.
Joseph Kesing and Leentje Wittenburg lived at Nieuwe Achtergracht 113 2nd floor in Amsterdam. His wife Leentje however passed away 2 December 1935 and was interred in the Jewish Cemetery in Diemen. His daughter Helena stayed at home with her father, even after she was married, till her father had to remove 13 November 1942 to Weesperplein 1, the "Joodsche Invalide" Joseph Kesing lived there till 1 March 1942, 256 persons (patients and staff) werd deported. Only a few persons have escaped. A great part of the deportees were killed 13 March 1943 in Sobibor.
Joseph Kesing was part of this group of 256 persons but was not killed in Sobibor; 2 March 1943 he arrived in Camp Westerbork were he had to stay in barack 69. Eventually he was put on transport 31 August to Auschwitz, where he was killed immediately upon arrival there 3 September 1943.
City Archive of Amsterdam, archive card and family registration card of Joseph Kesing; website www.wiewaswie.nl, marriage Joseph Kesing to Leentje Wittenburg; the file cabinet of the Jewish Council, registration card of Joseph Kesing and information from the website https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_Joodse_Invalide.