Leonardo Andriani (; January 25, 1895 – December 24, 1948) was an Italian

longshoreman A dockworker (also called a longshoreman, stevedore, docker, wharfman, lumper or wharfie) is a waterfront manual laborer who loads and unloads ships. As a result of the intermodal shipping container revolution, the required number of dockworke ...

and immigrant born in Molfetta, Italy. The search for his remains led to one of the largest disinterments in United States history.

Biography

Raised as the son of an impoverished waggoner in southern Italy, he joined the

Italian Navy The Italian Navy (; abbreviated as MM) is one of the four branches of Italian Armed Forces and was formed in 1946 from what remained of the ''Regia Marina'' (Royal Navy) after World War II. , the Italian Navy had a strength of 30,923 active per ...

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, before settling down and meeting a wife of his own; Marianna DeBari. They had two children, Gennaro and Serafina, but work was grueling in the olive fields of

Apulia Apulia ( ), also known by its Italian language, Italian name Puglia (), is a Regions of Italy, region of Italy, located in the Southern Italy, southern peninsular section of the country, bordering the Adriatic Sea to the east, the Strait of Ot ...

, so he decided to make his fortune in America. He is first recorded to have traveled to

Hoboken, New Jersey Hoboken ( ; ) is a City (New Jersey), city in Hudson County, New Jersey, Hudson County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Hoboken is part of the New York metropolitan area and is the site of Hoboken Terminal, a major transportation hub. As of the ...

as early as 1920, like so many others from

Molfetta Molfetta (; Bari dialect, Molfettese: ) is a town located in the northern side of the Metropolitan City of Bari, Apulia, southern Italy. It has a well restored old city, and its own dialect. History The earliest local signs of permanent habit ...

did. He would return home only twice and send money back often to his wife and children. On December 21, 1948, he was found wandering on the streets of

, seemingly confused and disoriented. The police picked him up and, after spending a night in a Hoboken City Hall holding cell, he was committed to the Hudson County Lunatic Asylum where he died after just three days in their care. The alleged cause of his commitment was due to arterio-sclerotic psychosis. His grandson, Patrick Andriani, is most well known for his search for his remains, as detailed in the documentary "Snake Hill" in 2007.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Andriani, Leonardo 1895 births 1948 deaths People from Hoboken, New Jersey People from Molfetta Italian emigrants to the United States Deaths in mental institutions