Henry was the son of Henry Wolfensberger and Mary Anna Lehman and Adopted son of Thomas Dobson and Catherine Baty. John Henry Wolfensberger used the name of Henry W. Dobson

Thomas Dobson and his wife, Katherine Beatty, had no children. In 1881, a friend, Andrew Quigley, was dying of the effects of a wound he had received at the hands of the Indians while proselyting in the Salmon Mission. He brought his daughter, Addie Quigley, to Dobson and asked him to care for her. Dobson also adopted a boy who was called Henry Wolfensberger. Thomas was known as a devoted and caring father.

Married Annie Sophy Jensen, 5 February 1907, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah

History - John was born 30 November 1881 in Switzerland to Heinrich and Maria Anna (Lehmann) Wolfensberger and named Johann Heinrich Wolfensberger.

In 1885 Heinrich and Maria joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and wanted to go to America and Zion. In 1886 they sent their two little boys Henry and Carl with returning Missionaries from Switzerland to Maria's sister Aunt Louisa Amanda Schoenals in Providence, Utah. Their ages 5 and 3. They were to live with her until the rest of the family could come to America.

Louisa was the 2nd wife of Edmund Schoenhals, a polygamist. When polygamy became against the law in 1890 her marriage to Schoenals was soon dissolved. Schoenals and his first wife divorced. He came up missing and may have moved back to Germany leaving his family Louisa her daughter Mary and two little nephews with no means of support.

The boys were taken into live with two different families. Henry into the Thomas Dobson family and Carl into the Guss Backman family. The rest of the Wolfensberger family Heinrich, wife Maria and children Ida, Otto and Mary came to America in 1893. Upon arriving in Salt Lake City their two boys were found but Heinrich had little to offer them. They were now 12 and 10 years old. It was decided they would stay with the families they were living with. Aunt Louise later married Philip Kloepfer.