Andrew and Samuel Wisloski

166 Roxborough Avenue Philadelphia PA. 19127

While researching archival records at St. John the Baptist Church located in Manayunk, I came across the death records of Andrew and Samuel Wisloski. Both were listed as dying on the same day from Asphyxiation. This information prompted me to investigate the reason behind the Wisloski brothers’ cause of death. Upon further investigation, I discovered that after an evening of drinking, the Wisloski brothers’ got into a fist fight at home and unbeknownst to both of them the gas pipe above the stove was inadvertently hit by one or both of them causing the release of gas. Both were asphyxiated by the gas fumes. Andrew was 50yrs old and Samuel was 40yrs old at the time of their death. The date of death was listed as March 11th, 1938 and the funeral mass was held at St. John’s on March 16th, 1938 at 9AM. Burial was held on the same date at Westminster cemetery in lot 327, grave number two. Residence listed at the time of their death was 166 Roxborough Avenue .


The above paragraph was taken from "a journey into the past". Andrew and Samuel Wisloski were the older brothers of John Weleski. Sometime between the birth of John's second and third child, he changed the spelling of his last name from Wisloski to Weleski for reasons unknown. In addition. the house on 166 Roxborough Avenue was the family home of John and his siblings.