William Arthur Lobb

Mr William Arthur Lobb was born in Luxulyan, Bodmin, Cornwall, England during the Spring of 1881.

He was the son of George Lobb (1853-1943), a China clay labourer, and Caroline Stephens, née Clark (1843-1929), both natives of Cornwall who were married in 1875. His mother had a previous marriage in 1864 to James Stephens (b. 1843) and had three children: Ann (b. 1865), Bessie (b. 1866) and Albert (b. 1867) before she was widowed in 1869.

William's parents had five other children of their own besides he: Frederick George (1875-1922), Thomas Henry (b. 1877), Charles Jethro (1879-1962), Coleman James (1883-1938) and Mildred Adeline (b. 1887, later Mrs George Clements).

He first appears on the 1891 census living at Canna in Luxulyan and by the time of the 1901 census he, like his father, was working as China clay labourer and still living with his family, now at Lower Meadow in Luxulyan.

He emigrated to the USA in the early-to-mid 1900s, having at least three siblings there already, his brothers Frederick, Charles and Coleman living in Salt Lake City, Utah. William lived in Scranton, Pennsylvania and was married there on 21 April 1909 to Cordelia Stanlick, also a native of Cornwall who had been living with her family in Pennsylvania since 1901. The couple had no children and were shown on the 1910 census living in Scranton where William was described as an engineer on the railroads for the Lackawanna Railroad Company. Their Scranton address was 1711 Swetland Street.

By 1912 his parents were living at New Street, Bugle in St Austell, Cornwall and William and Cordelia paid a visit home early that year. A brother had also reportedly died around the same time.

For their return to America the Lobbs boarded the Titanic at Southampton as third class passengers (ticket number 3336 which cost £16, 2s) and it is possible that they were travelling with others from their locality. That same day William mailed a postcard to his parents which depicted the Titanic. It read:

Both William and Cordelia were lost in the sinking, survivors who knew them reporting that Cordelia chose to remain with her husband. William's body was not recovered.

Letters of Administration were granted to his father, George Lobb on 3 August 1912. William had left effects to the value of £50 in Cornwall.

There is a memorial to Cordelia and William in Fairlawn Cemetery in Dalton, Pennsylvania. It reads:

IN LOVING REMEMBRANCE OF

WILLIAM & CORDELIA LOBB

WHO LOST THEIR LIVES

BY THE FOUNDERING OF THE

S. S. TITANIC

APRIL 14, 1912

Both his parents continued to live at New Street in St Austell. His mother died in 1929 and his father on 27 October 1943. His brothers Fred and Charles remained in the USA, living in Salt Lake City for the rest of their lives. Fred died in 1922 and Charles in 1962. His brother Coleman died in Los Angeles in 1938.