Killed in a Slushing Accident

Elgert Genevich was my husband's first cousin, the son of Joseph and Anna (Dagutis) Genevich. He was born on 5 November 1932 in West Hazleton. His father was a coal miner. On 16 January 1937 little Elgert was slushing in a public place and was struck in the left check.

A snippet from Elgert's death certificate;
personal collection

He died six days later at the Hazleton State Hospital. The official cause of death was spontaneous pneumonia with bronco-pneumonia as a contributing cause.

Hazleton State Hospital

Elgert's obituary appeared in the Hazleton Plain-Speaker on 22 January 1937. I found a transcription of it years ago on the Eastern Pennsylvania message board on Ancestry.com.

Elgert Genevich, aged 4, of 309 West Green street, West Hazleton, died at 7 o'clock this morning at the State Hospital where he was treated for injuries sustained while coasting a week ago. Surviving him are his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Genevich and a sister, Dorothy Genevich. His grandmother, Mrs. Cecelia Degutis of West Hazleton, also survives. The funeral will be held at 9:30 Monday morning, with interment in the Sts. Peter and Paul's cemetery at Laurel Hill.

Sts Peter and Paul Lithuanian Cemetery, Hazleton, Pennsylvania;
photograph is in my personal collection

Uncle Joe Was Married Before