Thank you for your reply to my message. As far as our family history goes we came from a town called Lovati. The village is in the Veneto province of Vicenza. Our family

certainly dates back to at least 1325 there. According to family history a part of the family moved to Spain in about 1400. It would appear that some of them became mercenaries

for Spain. But they kept their Italian connection. Then we were sent to fight in the New World. Being paid by being awarded land. (Easier for Spain to give land to its troops

(that they had captured) rather than part with money. Anyway we turn up in Mexico then New Mexico (Santa Fe area) until the Indian uprising, we then moved to El Paso and then

returned to New Mexico in the early 1700's. I understand that we married into most of the families in New Mexico e.g. Baca, Martinez, Chavez, etc. But also workers on our

ranches took the name of Lovato when they needed a last name. Mostly these people were local native americans. Hence lots of Native Americans with the name of Lovato.(spellings

my differ a little but most likely same name). The original part of the family still had ties to Italy even as late as the 1920's. They also had ties to Spain (having lived

there for over 500 years). Most people however will not know about the Italian connection, if they are not part of the original line. Especially if they simply adopted the name

at some time in the past. So is Lovato Italian, or Spanish its both. Italian up to and before 1325 and even upto today and Spanish from about 1400 to now. Ofcourse we Lovato's

get everywhere and I even know some in England and Ireland. The Irish Lord Lovat even claims Spanish ancestry. So they are probably part of the family too.