CAUSES OF DEATH

Francis Lanzaro
born June 7, 1918 in Morganville, NJ
died September 15, 1921 at the Metropolitan Hospital in Manhattan, NY, age 3 years, 2 months

Father: Ciro Lanzaro (1881-1944)
Mother: Louisa Leier (1884-1920)

Cause of death: Broncho Pneumonia

Bronchopneumonia (Bronchial Pneumonia) is caused by bacteria invading the lungs, leading to inflammation of the bronchial tubes causing fluid to build up, thus reducing the amount of air that can be maintained in the lungs. The patient suffers from severe coughing and difficulty breathing. Other symptoms include chest pain, rapid breathing, and shortness of breath. Fever, sweats, a headache, and weakness are also usually present.

Francis, recorded as Frank on his birth certificate, was the last child born to Ciro and Louise in the farmhouse in Morganville. They probably realized it was bad luck to name any more babies Salvatore, but this one may have been named after Ciro's uncle, Francesco, who died in Brooklyn at the age of 47 on January 6, 1892. Francis is listed with the family in Morganville on the 1920 Federal Census as nearly 2-year-old Frank, and Louisa mentioned him in her letters before she died on July 16, 1920. After several years of searching, I finally located his death certificate. It shows he died at the Metropolitan Hospital in Manhattan, NY, on September 15, 1921, about a year after his mother. Ironically, Ciro and Louisa’s last child died from the same disease as their first (Petronella).

How did little Frankie get from the farm in Morganville to a hospital in New York City? His death certificate lists his residence as 941 Newkirk Avenue, in Brooklyn. This was the home of his grandmother, Amelia Leier, Louisa’s mother. Louisa contracted tuberculosis about a year after Frankie was born. She was sent to a TB clinic in Scotch Plains, NJ, where she stayed until her death over a year later. One can only conjecture that when it became obvious that Louisa was not returning home any time soon, the families decided it would be better for the baby to be with his 54-year-old grandmother in Brooklyn than on a farm in the “sticks”. My father was 7 years old at the time, Toots was 8, Cat 12, Larry 13, Joe 15, Ciro 38, and Petronilla 76.

Unfortunately, poor little Frankie would last only a year. The death certificate shows he was sick for two months before he died. He was buried in St. Joseph’s Cemetery in Keyport with his two brothers Salvatore, and his mother.

LANZARA-LANZARO FAMILY WEBPAGE