John Paul Surrey (1720-1798), born Gianpaolo Sirico, was an Italian immigrant woodworker who lived in Woodbridge Township, New Jersey during the 18th century. Born in Naples, Sirico became a master woodworker before bringing his specialized skills to the Thirteen Colonies, where demand for master artisans was growing. He arrived in New York City before settling in New Jersey, where he found work relatively quickly and integrated himself into the colonial economy, taking the name "John Paul Surrey." Surrey supported the Patriot cause during the American Revolutionary War and achieved prosperity during the post-war building boom. As a well-to-do citizen and a conservative Catholic who disapproved of secular and deistic liberalism, Surrey voted for the Federalist Party.
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