CAUSES OF DEATH

Petronella Lanzaro
born December 13, 1903 in Brooklyn, NY
died January 28, 1905 in Brooklyn, NY

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

Cause of death: Broncopneumonia

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.

Petronella was born exactly 11 weeks after her parents married on September 27, 1903. Her birth certificate gives her name as Petronella. Apparently, she was named after Ciro's mother, Petronilla (although her name is spelled Petronella). Unfortunately, she had a very short life. She died at the age of 15 months just 2 days before the birth of the second child, Joseph. This must have been a particularly difficult time for the young mother, Louisa, who gave birth to her second child a day after burying her first. Louisa was just 20 years old at the time. They are all living at 147 Conover Street in the Red Hook section of Brooklyn.

On her death certificate, Petronella is identified as Patricia. We can only conjecture that Louisa may have accepted the traditional naming of her first daughter after the mother of her husband, but they obviously called her by the more modern sounding Patricia. She was buried in an unmarked grave at Holy Cross Cemetery in Brooklyn with her grandfather, Giuseppe Lanzara, who died in Brooklyn on September 20, 1901.

LANZARA-LANZARO FAMILY WEBPAGE