Longino in Ravenna -- early 1700s

[slaann]

I'm looking for information on an ancestor who came to America in about 1751.

John Thomas (Giovanni Tomas) Longino
b. 1737 in Ravenna
d. 1796 in Surry Co, North Carolina, USA

The story is that his father was executed as a heretic during the Holy Inquisition, and John Thomas escaped, either went to Switzerland, the Palatinate or England and then to America.

I would love to have any information about his parents (no one seems to have a clue who they were), his immigration info, anything before he came to America, or advice on how I might find this information.

Thanks!

[Locc59]

He is my 4th great grand father his father was Ray Longino and Evelyn LeGrand is his mother. Bose Longino is my 6th great grandfather and his wife is Rosa Lee Debrule. My grandmother is Velma Longino, her father is also a John as well. My 2nd great grandfather is Wyatt Longino and my 3rd is Albert Longino.