John was the third child of 10 born to Andrew Przybylski and Frances Rochowiak. He was born 7 May 1878 in Dobrylewo, Kujawasko-Pomorskie, Poland.
I believe that he arrived in the US with his mother, brother Frank, and sisters Marianna and Rose sometime in late 1880 or early 1881. His father, Andrew states on his Intention to Become a Citizen that he arrived in the US in May 1880. Daughter Rose was born in Dobrylewo in June 1880.
I have an undated photo of the Przybylski brothers, Joseph, Frank, and John. The photo likely was taken after 1919 since it does not include their brother, Stanislaus, who was killed in an industrial accident at Acklin Stamping in 1919.
John has an air of mystery around him. He was nicknamed “Johnnie Bear” and “Rex.” He also changed his surname to Seblaski somewhere around 1909. There are stories and theories that say John ran booze between Canada and the US during Prohibition and that he was either involved in the Purple Gang or was trying to avoid the Purple Gang. l’ve found almost nothing that supports this. But the timeline somewhat overlaps the existence of the Purple Gang and the timeline of Prohibition.
John married Hedwig Krzyzaniak on 20 June 1906 in St. Hedwig’s parish. The 1910 US census puts John and Hedwig in Detroit, recorded with the surname of Przybylski. The address given was 585 Beniteau Ave. The 1920 US census has John and Hedwig at the same Beniteau address, but under the surname of Seblaski. John was also indicated as having been naturalized in the 1910 census.
Searching into the Detroit area newspapers using both the Przybylski and Seblaski surnames provided a classified notice published in the Detroit Free Press on 14 November 1909 stating a building permit had been issued to an Edward Moser to build a 2 story frame home for John Seblaski at the Beniteau address. Later, The name of John Seblaski was published in the Detroit twice in 1913 over a minor matter of the conveyance of a small strip of land. So John was using the name of Seblaski as early as 1909.
1909 was too early for the Purple Gang. Prohibition began in 1920 and ended in 1933. The address on Beniteau was directly across from the Detroit River. Booze was walked over the frozen Detroit River from Windsor during Prohibition; however, I don’t know if John would have had much chance to be involved in that. Possibly for a few years but that itself would not explain the name change. The Purple Gang was active after 1920.
I have been able to document John and Hedwig in the Detroit area as late as August 1925, when a notice was printed in The Times Herald of Port Huron announcing that “Mrs. John Seblaski, of Detroit, spent Sunday visiting friends in this city.” By 1927, John and Hattie were living in Miami.
An article published in the Miami Daily News on 12 June 1927 detailed how John’s dog, King, saved a man’s life. A man who had drunk too much was driven to Biscayne Blvd. and passed out on railroad tracks while attempting to make his way home. John was out walking King, a doberman pinscher, in the evening and the dog sensed something was wrong, he jumped up on John’s shoulders and barked to indicate a problem. The dog led John to the man passed out on the railroad tracks, aided by an FED railroad watchman. They dragged the man off of the tracks just minutes before a freight train came through. The article mentions that John owned a yacht, named the “Hedwig” that was moored nearby at Pier 4.
The 1931 US City Directories for Miami, Florida places John and Hedwig at 232 SW 38th Ct. in Miami, Florida. The directory doesn’t provide an occupation or employer for either, but by February the following year, John is hitting the local newspapers with news about his fishing expeditions on the boat, the Hedwig.
Sometime shortly after that newspaper article, John and Hedwig returned to Toledo. Hedwig was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Her death certificate states she was diagnosed by laparotomy in October 1932. She died at 133 Austin St., in her sister Rose’s residence on 31 January 1933.
John returned to Miami and his fishing expedition business. He never remarried. And each new boat he purchased, was always named “Hedwig.” There was the original Hedwig, and then Hedwig II and Hedwig III.
In 1937, the City Commission of Miami wanted to raise the docking charges for charter fishing boats and public vessels. This seemed to rouse some dissention with those who ran charter fishing businesses, which is what John had developed with the Hedwig. John was quoted in the Miami Tribune on 8 October 1932 that “…we can’t charge the tourists more, and, at best, we have a three-month season.”
An article in the Miami News dated 17 August 1943, mentioned John’s vessel, the Hedwig II pulling in three bonito, one wahoo, and one barracuda in a fishing expedition. While I haven’t been able to pinpoint when John obtained the Hedwig II, there are two specific mentions of him with the Hedwig III, the first was 28 September 1943 where an article was published in the Miami News that states John had taken Army Air Corpsmen out on a fishing expedition that hauled in six dolphin, 17 tunas, a mackerel and a bonito on the Hedwig III. The second mention was in the Miami Daily News on 22 November 1945.
“…Capt. John Seblaski got himself a new boat, named the Hedwig III, after the one he so unfortunately lost…. He had a new Higgins on order, but because of the delay in deliveries, he decided to get the present one for the coming season… Looks good too!”
The 1945 Florida State Census brings up an interesting question. It does show John living in Miami, Dade County Florida, age 66, at 817 SW 15th Ave. His occupation is listed as Boat Captain. However, his place of birth is mentioned as Michigan. He was born in Dobrylewo, Kujawsko-Pomorskie, Poland and would have been the person providing the information to the census worker. So perhaps there is a reason? As if he were trying to evade some detection? It’s all conjecture but it’s small questions like this that do keep the possibility open that perhaps at some point, John did cross the path of Prohibition and the Purple Gang. Unfortunately, we’ll probably never have a conclusive answer. But by all appearances, it seems John just led a quiet, industrious life initially with factory work and then in Florida as a charter boat captain leading fishing expeditions.
John died in Miami, Florida on 10 June 1950 and is buried at Miami Memorial Park.