The future legendary Frank Sinatra was born Francis Albert Sinatra on December 12, 1915, in Hoboken, New Jersey. His life began in a cold water tenement apartment on Monroe Street. His father, Martin, was a migrant from Sicily, while his mother, Dolly, came from Genoa. In his youth, Martin worked as a cobbler to help support his parents, but later worked as a laborer, a barman, and a firefighter, supplementing his income as a talented prizefighter while Dolly became a midwife and was involved in local politics.
At the time of Sinatra’s birth, money was tight. According to Spencer Leigh’s “Frank Sinatra: An Extraordinary Life,” after Frank was born his mother Dolly told his father: “That’s my Christmas present to you. We can’t afford anything else.” The difficulties of Sinatra’s birth, which may have been fatal for Dolly had the doctor not intervened, meant that his mother was unable to have more children, contributing to Sinatra’s loneliness during his childhood. Sinatra’s parents were often away working throughout childhood and when he wasn’t being cared for by his grandmother, Rosa, the only child spent much of his time alone exploring the local neighborhood and trying to make friends. In his early life, Sinatra still bore facial scars and marks on his neck from his difficult birth. These earned him the nickname “Scarface” among the local children, and he would often experience bullying and violence. He would also face beatings at the hands of his mother. Unsurprisingly, Sinatra developed a fierce temper from an early age and became notorious for his displays of anger at school.
