Rev. Thomas J Lobsinger
Promoted To Bishop
Of Whitehorse, Yukon Territory

Rev. Thomas Lobsinger, a native of Brantford, Ontario, Canada, and descendent of the family of Louis Lobsinger, has been named Bishop of Whitehorse, Yukon Territories.

Born in Ayton, Ontario, Father Lobsinger came to Brantford with his family in 1934, when he was only six years old, and had his formative schooling there.He and his family are well known to many of the area residents.

Two of his three sisters, Teresa Walsh and Joan Luciani, still live there.His other sister, Anne Margrett, of Chagrin Falls, Ohio, weaved the vestments for the ceremony during which he was ordained as bishop.The ceremony took place Oct. 1 in Whitehorse.

His 91 year old mother, Leone, passed away quietly on September 15th of this year. Shortly before her death, she said being named bishop came as a surprise to her son.

He has spent 27 of his 32 years working with the poor, mostly in isolated native reservations throughout British Columbia and Alberta. He became a licensed pilot with the help of money raised by the native Indians. He used the skill to pilot a plane through the remote areas, sometimes helping in rescues and often bringing supplies to isolated communities.

It is the practical work of helping others that Father Lobsinger is happiest doing, said his mother."Anything he can do to help other people, he will do," she said. Her son never aspired to the offce of bishop, "but that's the way it went.

"His preference for life "in the bush" is something he will continue to experience as Bishop of Whitehorse. Mrs. Lobsinger thought becoming a priest was always in the back of her son's mind. Father Lobsinger had served as Provincial for the St. Paul's Province of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate for 1-1/2 years when he was appointed as bishop. He entered the Oblate order in 1947, and was ordained priest in 1954, following studies at Holy Rosary Scholasticate in Ottawa.

He told the B.C. Catholic, a religious publication, that the greatest challenge in his new role will be to "bring the Good News to people. Especially those who are indifferent to it. "He welcomed the new appointment as another opportunity to serve in what he considers the traditional call of the Oblate order- "to be with the poor and underprivileged in places nobody else wants, whether it be in big cities or remote areas."

Florida Lobsingers Visit In Newkirk Okla.

John Ross (Jack) and Catherine Lobsinger are in the process of making their annual summer trek across the country visiting scattered children.First stop was in Huntsville, Arkansas, where Jack stopped to visit with his brother Phil before heading on into Oklahoma to visit three sons in Newkirk.

Jack is a descendant of Peter Lobsinger, founder of one of the lines of Canadian Lobsingers.In Newkirk, Oklahoma, Mr. and Mrs. Lobsinger will visit with son Robert William, who published this newsletter and who is publisher of the Newkirk Herald Journal; son John Francis Lobsinger, a paramedic and fireman in Ponca City, Oklahoma, and son Mark Allan Lobsinger, an employee of Southwestern Bell Telephone Company.

The John R. Lobsingers also have a son, James Ross, who is an electrical engineer with Honeywell in Phoenix, Az.In addition, there are 3 more sons and one daughter still living in their home town of Lake Worth, Florida; Mary Ann Quinn, Byron Louis, Patrick Leo, and Michael Eldon. And a bunch of grandchildren...

 Which Branch Of The Lobsinger Family Do You Belong To?

There are three distinct branches of the Lobsinger family in the New World: The Canadian branch which appears to be the largest; the St. Louis branch; and the Swiss branch.There are also a few families that so far don't appear to fit into any of the other groups.

The patriarch of the Canadian branch was a fella named Joseph Lobsinger who appears to have been born about 1810, possibly in the Alsace Lorraine area of France or in nearby Germany. Joseph appears to have had at least 4 sons and maybe more. Three of them appear to have settled in Ontario, Canada, and one was born there.

Each of them founded a line of Lobsingers that continues today, and most Lobsingers with Canadian roots can be traced back to one of these 4 brothers: Louis, Peter, Joseph, and Jacob Anthony.Thomas J Lobsinger, on the front page of this newsletter for instance, is a descendent of Louis Lobsinger. John Ross Lobsinger is a descendent of Peter. There are over 700 known descendents of the original Canadian Joseph Lobsinger.

The St. Louis branch of the family traces its roots back to Langatte, France to a fella named Nicolas Lobsinger who was born about 1680.One of his descendants, Antoine Jean Michael Lobsinger came to the new world in 1837 on the ship Utica with his older brother Joseph, who was reportedly a Count. (who later turned out to be Joseph, founder of the Canadian Branch) After Antoine settled in at St. Louis, Count Joseph returned to France, and later brought another brother, Michael, over and settled him in Belleville, III, Then he returned to France again and nothing further is known about him at this time.(Actually, later research confirms he settled in Canada) If you have roots in the St. Louis area, you are probably a descendent of Nicolas Lobsinger. Count Joseph, incidentally, was born in 1804. Could he have been the mysterious patriarch of the Canadian branch of the family? (he was)

In Beme County, Switzerland... not far from the Alsace Lorraine area, there are many families of Lobsigers, without the "n" in their name.One of them, a fella named Benjamin Lobsiger came to the US and settled in Peoria, Ill. His grandson John William is the first place the name shows up spelled Lobsinger, with the "n" in place. John William was the third child in the family. The older two girls kept the old spelling. If you have a Lobsiger spelling in your family history, you may belong to any of several families that appear to have immigrated from Switzerland. In addition, there are several families that are still total mysteries. Some are related to the Canadian bunch but the connection is still obscure. Some don't seem to be related to anybody yet.

It is the purpose of this newsletter to gather as much information as possible about all of the Lobsinger families until they can all be placed under a common ancestor

Veterinarian Raises Medical Doctors,
Musicians, And Teachers In Family

Dr Leonard W. Lobsinger, owner of the Blue Cross Animal Hospital in Sarnia, Ontario is pleased to announce that his daughter Marie Dafoe is presently in charge of the cancer clinic in Ottawa. She graduated as a nurse and continued her education in the medical field, attaining her current position.

Her husband is Dr.William Dafoe who is on the cardiac team for heart surgery and transplants in Ottawa. Dr. Dafoe recently returned from 2 weeks in Humana Hospital and Denver, Co., where he studied the Jarvik Artificiall Heart.

The Defoes have two children, Allen, who is 7 years old, and Johanna, who is 10 months.

Dr. and Mrs. Lobsinger also have a son Joseph who is a music instructor at the Catholic Elementary School. He is married, and he and his wife Anne have 3 girls, ages 15 and twins 13. Anne is an English Teacher and part time vocal and drama instructor at St. Patrick's High School. The Leonard Lobsingers send greetings to the Florida Lobsingers, whom they have not been able to visit as often as they used to..

 Deaths And Funerals

Leone Mary (Russell) Lobsinger, born December 9th 1895, died September l5th, 1987. Wife of Reuben Joseph Lobsinger, mother of Teresa Walsh, Joan Luciani, Rev. Thomas J. Lobsinger, and Anne Margrett. Grandchildren includePatrick Walsh, Michael Walsh, Mary Bond, Cathy Pearson, Tom Luciani, Sharon Thompson, Marie Delaney, and Billy Luciani.She will be missed by so many.

 How Does George William Fit In?

Loren Collins was a Bomber Pilot in World War II when he got the orders to attack Hitler's Headquarters in Germany. (Well, It wasn't Loren Collins, we found out later, it was Lorne Lobsinger) He is one of the interesting descendents of a man named George William Lobsinger who started a branch of the Canadian family that included maybe 10 kids and as many as 20 grandchildren and still counting...Loren is the son of George's daughter Caroline Lobsinger Collins and her husband John.

They lived atone time in Vancouver, B.C., and at one time in the 1920's, John Collins owned or sponsored a professional Hockey Club. (Well, it turns out that he is the son of George's son Louis Steven. John Collins was his aunt Caroline Lobsinger's husband.) Old George Lobsinger was probably born about 1820 and lived in Ontario. He later moved to Regina. He was a farmer, bank trustee, and key custodian of a prison. He is closely related to the other Lobsinger families from the Ontario region, but so far no one has been able to make a direct connection. (George turned out to be the youngest son of Count Joseph Lobsinger)

In George Lobsinger's address book, which has survived the times, there are addresses of other Lobsingers of that time from the line of Peter. His daughter Kate married a man named Hergotte and moved to Saskatchewan. The Hergotte name is familiar in the Peter Lobsinger line because some of Peter's descendants bought the Hergotte Machine Shop in Mildmay, Ontario and converted it into a farm equipment manufacturing business.

Some of the current generation of Lobsingers descending from George's son Joseph G Lobsinger and by his grandson Roland Lobsinger include Richard and Tom Lobsinger of Williston, N.D., Gary Lobsinger of Jamestown, N.D., Mickey Aldrich, also of Jamestown, Louis of Wishek, N.D., and Susan Kennedy of Williston.

Joseph G Lobsinger, (Old George's son), was married to Mary Diemert, a common name in Ontario.. Another of Joseph G's sons was William George Lobsinger. His children include William George, Jr, now in Omaha, NB, James J Lobsinger of Jamestown, N.D., and Jerome M. Lobsinger of Minot, N.D.George's grandson Raymond is the founder of one of the California branches of the family, with members in Los Angeles, Granada Hills, and Frazier Park.

Old George had several granddaughters, as well, and their descendents include members of the Hooper, Tipton, Allen, and Crider families out in the Helena, Montana area.Veronica Olstead, one daughter of Joseph George, lives in Minneapolis, MN., and her children bring the Olstead, Kmety, and Christenson names into the family fold. If anyone out there has any further information on Old George William Lobsinger, the prison guard, let us know about him. He may be a brother or son (he was) of Joseph the Canadian Lobsinger patriarch, and it would be nice to tie him in with all of the rest of the Canadians (we did).

 Antoine's House Still Stands
In Village of Langatte, France

He has Lobsingers in his ancient lineage, and some of their descendants founded the St. Louis branches of the Lobsinger family in the new world. One of those descendants was a man named Antoine Jean Michael Lobsinger who became an important figure in St. Louis politics and became quite wealthy in the construction and busline business in that bustling frontier city. Antoine built a "commodious" mansion for his day, and furnished it with hand made, oversized furniture that wouldn't fit in a normal size home. The Lobsinger Mansion remained a landmark in downtown St. Louis well into this century, when it was demolished.

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