His father was Fredrick Wegley, and his mother was Tillie Blanch Edwards.

Although John Wesley was born in West Virginia, he wasn’t there long. By 1930, he and his family were already living in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, thanks to the 1930 United States Federal Census.

He was 7 years old and, as you might expect, attending school. He, however, wouldn’t graduate from high school. Times were hard in this period in history, and he had to quit high school after his 2nd year.

At 17 years old, he worked in a glass factory, just like his father did.  This was a new job for him because, as we can see, in 1939, he had listed 0 hours of work, and his usual occupation was “new worker.”

On February 12, 1943, John Wesley Wegley enlisted in the US Army. His enlistment term was for the duration of the War or another emergency, plus six months, subject to the discretion of the President or otherwise according to law.

On his draft registration card, we learn he was 5 foot 5 inches tall with a light complexion, brown hair, and blue eyes.

He obtained the rank of Staff Sergeant in the United States Army. According to the US Department of Veterans Affairs, his official enlistment date was February 20, 1943, and his release date was December 6, 1945.

At the age of 23, John Wesley Wegley married Norman Jean Pocky. She was 21 years of age at the time. Their marriage took place on April 1, 1946, in Virginia.

It is in this document we get further proof that his parents were Fred and Tillie Wegley.

Together, John Wesley and his beloved wife Norma Jean had four children: Lynn (born in 1947) and Wesley (born in 1952), Janine (1955) and then Donald (1959).

 He died on November 1, 1982, in Okmulgee, Oklahoma. He was buried at the West Lawn Cemetery in Henryetta, Oklahoma. 

John Wesley Wegley was born on June 29, 1858, in Indiana, Pennsylvania, and passed away on December 15, 1927, in Shade, Somerset County, Pennsylvania, at the age of 69. His father was Joseph William Wegley (1802-1880), and his mother was Eve Berkebile (1811-1888).

His death certificate confirms that he succumbed to a cerebral hemorrhage caused by high blood pressure—a stroke. The document also identifies his parents as Joseph Wegley and Eva Berkible, offering vital details for genealogical distinction, as another man named John W. Wegley lived during the same period but was married to a Sarah Wegley.

John married Helen Elizabeth “Bessie” Swanson, originally from Sweden, and together they had six children:

• Minerva Pearl (1887)
• Frederick (1890)
• Ruth Leona Victoria (1893)
• Clarence John Leroy
• Raymond Walter (1900)
• Howard

By 1910, the family lived at 507 Biddle Street in Kane, Pennsylvania, a residence that would remain their home through the 1920 census. In 1910, John was listed as a pumper for oil wells, while in 1920, he was recorded as a grocer. Despite inconsistencies in his reported age—50 in the 1910 census and 62 in 1920—his wife Bessie aged more consistently, from 44 in 1910 to 54 in 1920. Their children also appeared in the records, although there are occasional transcription errors, such as their daughter Ruth being listed as “Rush” in the 1920 census.

The home at 507 Biddle Street, built in 1890, remains standing today. It is a two-story, 2,258-square-foot single-family home, notable for its six bedrooms and history as a converted two-apartment property. In recent history, it was sold at a public auction in 2013 for $19,000, despite an average home value in the area of approximately $150,000. The house retains its historic charm but reflects the challenges of maintaining older properties.

John Wesley’s life and work reflected the industrious spirit of his time. He was literate, owned his home, and worked various roles to support his family. After his death in 1927, he was laid to rest in Forest Lawn Cemetery in Kane, Pennsylvania, where his legacy endures through the descendants and stories of his family.