Person:Ambrose Lupo (1)

Research Notes: As I struggle to get something on the computer about my Lupo lineage, it becomes a question of how much should be included and how to convey to others that actual research has been done. Most of the compiled information I have seen so far comes from just a few places.

(1) "Adventurers of Purse and Person, Virginia 1607-1624/5", Third edition, Virginia M. Meyer and John Frederick Dorman, editors. Published by Order of First Families of Virginia, 1607-1624/5, 1987. Gives a basic outline of three generations of those who came to America. The Lupo article in this book has numerous source listings, which I have not attempted to duplicate since this book is probably available in most genealogy collections.

(2)"The Virginia Genealogist," Vols. 36, No. 4, October-December, 1992. Published quarterly by John Frederick Dorman. Article by Matt Lupo, "The Lupo Family of Early Virginia." This article is fully annotated with source references. includes a summary of the information found in "Adventurers of Purse and Person," plus connects the sons of Peter Lupo to their forebear, Ambrose Lupo.

Computer printout by unidentified author, seemingly based on the work of Matt Lupo which is posted at www.Lupo.org. This work basically shows the connection down to James Lupo, the father of Laban and others, drawing on the records of James Foster Lupo which have been handed down in the family of the descendants of John G. Lupo. This work shows many possibilities for further research.

I urge anyone who is interested in this family to find the first two sources listed above as a starting point. In addition, researchers may wish to track back through the counties that are mentioned in the records, particularly those trying to connect related families.

Note: Matt Lupo, in his article "The Lupo Family of Early Virginia" published in the Virginia genealogist in 1992 further identifies Ambrose. "Ambrose, along with Albert of Venice, Alexander of Milan and John Maria of Cremona, were witnesses to the will of John Anthony, a royal sackbut player. Two days later, when the will was proved, Ambrose, as sole executor, identified John Anthony as "Anthony Moyses, " and himself as "Ambrose de Almaliach," both Jewish names. The name Almaliach connects Ambrose to a family of Portuguese or Spanish Jews named Elmaleh, which was expelled from Spain in the early days of the Inquisition and disbursed to an number of countries, notably Italy. The fact that Ambrose used the Jewish versions of his and John Anthony's names give some insight into Ambrose's character as evidence suggests that John Anthony, as well as Romano de Milan, died they and the rest of the string players were in prison for being suspected Marranos, that is, Jews who practice their religion in secret while openly professing Christianity. Ambrose was the first member of the family to adopt the name Lupo, the Italian word for Wolf, ironically so, since Jews at that time were commonly compared to wolves. "