Frank Viggiano

FRANK VIGGIANO was born around 1887 in Italy to Nicola and Elizabeth Viggiano. The family came to America when he was two, and settled in Camden. Nicola Viggiano established a junk business. At the time of the 1910 Census Frank Viggiano had wed, and was living with his wife, parents, and daughter Elizabeth at 254 Pine Street in Camden. He was at that time working with his father in the junk business. Four other children would follow, Carmela, Rose, Michael, and Nicholas.

Within a short time of the census enumeration of 1910, Frank Viggiano acquired the saloon that was located at 264 Pine Street from Domenico Palese, whose son, Rocco Palese, was Camden County’s first Italian-American lawyer. Frank Viggiano would operate this bar for 20 years. Other neighbors in the 1900s and 1910s included Antonio DiPaolo, the Marchisello and Giordano families, also in the junk business, the Larios, whose sons, Frank and Anthony, would go on to distinguished careers as lawyers in Camden, the Rocco DiPersia family, whose son Rocco would do the same. Next door at 266 Pine was Cipriano Moles, by 1924 the proprietor of C. Moles & Son bottlers, which later became the South Jersey Bottling Company.

Frank Viggiano was active in the community, being a member of the Columbus Society and the First Italian Republican League of Camden County. By 1930, with Prohibition in effect, Frank Viggiano went into real estate. In his later years Frank Viggiano made his home at 511 Pine Street.

Frank Viggiano died on December 30, 1941 after a brief illness. He was survived by his wife Nettie, three daughters, and two sons. After a Mass at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church he was buried at Calvary cemetery in Delaware Township (present-day Cherry Hill) NJ on January 3, 1942.