Human gender is genetically determined by a pair of chromosomes that are, by convention, designated XX for females and XY for males.  Only males have the Y-chromosome, and because the male Y-chromosome is handed down from father to son through the generations, Y-DNA testing can identify common ancestors on the patrilineal line.  Y-DNA testing is an extremely powerful tool for proving pedigrees and for breaking past brick walls where paper genealogy has failed to go.

Some questions to be answered are:

1)  How many different families are represented by these surnames, and what are their geographic origins?  [Known origins in the Old World include CARRIÇO/CARRICO and CARRIÇA/CARRICA in Portugal, CARRICA in Spain, CARICO in Italy, and CARACO in Spain, Italy, and Turkey.  Their present distribution is, of course, more widespread.] 

2)  How many immigrated to the United States, and when?  Are all the early CARRICOs in the U.S. descended from just the one progenitor, Peter CARRICO, the 1674 immigrant to Maryland?  [The final answers will require DNA testing, but the summary of CARRICO / CARICO census records in the U.S. is relevant to these questions.] 

3)  Was Peter CARRICO, many of whose descendants are Roman Catholic, related to the converso, Pero Dias CARRICO, who was imprisoned by the Spanish Inquisition in Portugal in 1629-33 for the crime of "Judaismo" and forced to convert to Catholicism to gain his release?

4)  Can I prove my own paper pedigree?  A negative result can instantly disprove an erroneous pedigree, while a positive result provides very strong support for a correct one.  The degree (the specificity) to which we will be able to support our paper pedigrees depends largely on the number of CARRICOs tested and on the number of markers each tests (the more markers tested and the more individuals tested, the more specific the conclusions can be).

The NPE in the line of Reason CARRICO was an unpleasant surprise.  With the testing of enough cousins, the location of this NPE can be determined. With the testing of enough LITTLETONs, we may be able to isolate their probable ancestor.

Because many have suspected Peter's origin was in Portugal, it was a disappointment that the CARRICO with an origin in Portugal did not match them, although the reality is that it would have been extraordinarily good luck for Peter's descendants to have had a match "across the pond" that early in the project.  Most surnames have multiple origins, and CARRICO is proving to be no exception.  Eventually, it is hoped we can match this individual to a CARRICO family in Portugal.

It was no surprise that the two CARACOs from Turkey matched each other, while not matching the other CARRICOs, but one turns out to be intriguing in his own right because he's only the second known practicing Sephardic Jew who has tested as Haplogroup L (as of Aug 2008).

No new members are awaiting first results.

The descendant of Charles CARRICO, through his son, Josiah, is awaiting the rest of his markers.

Time to drum up some new members!  Remember, the best way to improve your chances for a match is to bring more members into the project.

In recognition of the fact that some individuals may find the cost of DNA testing prohibitive and that these individuals may be the only representatives of key lines in our genealogical research, Family Tree DNA has instituted "General Funds" to allow researchers to subsidize the testing of these key individuals.  The fund can also be used as a simple way to give someone a gift of DNA testing.  Please see this link at Family Tree DNA for more details.  And please consider a donation to the project as a way of bringing more lines into the project, especially to help some of our elder kin be tested who may not otherwise be able to afford it.  There is also a field on the donation form allowing you to make a donation in honor of a specific person.  The funds will be entirely collected and held by Family Tree DNA, but their dispursement is implemented by your project administrator.  You can inform your project adminstrator whose test you want subsidized with your donation or, if you wish, you can leave it up to the project administrator to decide where the funds can best be applied.  Please note that anonymous donations are not just anonymous to the public; they are also anonymous to the project admin.  If you want the admin to know you made the donation and/or have a special request for how it is to be spent, please notify the admin by email at the time you make the donation.

There has been an instance in one of my projects where a donor sent a prospective member a check, then the person never followed through by joining the project.  This situation can be avoided if the researcher has, instead, donated the money to the project's General Fund, because the money simply won't be spent if the person fails to join.

There has also been an instance in one of my projects where a donor agreed to fund a test based on the promise of a secure line to their progenitor, only for me to discover there was an adoption in the line.  In this case, the researcher had donated their money to the General Fund, and I caught the NPE in time to deny the subsidy to the test subject.  This situation is also a reminder to examine someone's line, yourself, before agreeing to subsidize their test — not that there was intentional deception here, just flawed paper genealogy.

Once money is donated to the General Fund, it cannot be refunded to the donor, but at least it's use can be determined by the donor in the future, as opposed to being a total loss.

Bottom line:  before sending a stranger a check, please consider making a donation to the project's General Fund, instead.

If you want to increase the probability of making a match and speed up the progress of this project, please offer to subsidize a test, even if it's with just $10.  Donations can easily be made through the project's General Fund (see above), and any specific subsidy can be listed below.  If you have a line you want tested, please consider offering a subsidy to encourage a volunteer.

1.  Your project admin and an anonymous donor are offering to subsidize the full cost of a 67-marker test (value $252) for a   male CARRICO (or variation) whose origin in Europe is known. This offer is a standing one, good for as long as there are sufficient funds remaining in the project's General Fund, which is an excellent reason for all CARRICO researchers to donate to the General Fund because even small donations will help keep this offer open.  [This offer is good only for progenitors that have not yet been tested, not for additional members of families already tested.]

2.  An anonymous donor is offering to subsidize the full cost of a 67 marker test for a patrilineal descendant of Peter CARRICO III (1722-    )

3.  Another donor is offering a $50 subsidy for the testing of a descendant of either of the CARRICOs of Beverly, Essex Co., MA, namely, Alexander CARRICO (c1747-    ) or John CARRICO (c1748-    ). The offer is to subsidize only one descendant, so the early bird get the subsidy.

4.  Your project admin is offering to chip in $50 towards the testing of a patrilineal descendant of Josiah CARRICO (1769-1820s) of Green Co., IN

All test subjects must be males surnamed CARRICO descended on a patrilineal line from the ancestor indicated.  For all subsidies, acceptance of the subject is at the discretion of the donor (i.e., upon the researcher's satisfaction that there is a valid paper connection between the test subject and the ancestor).  The test subject must agree to sign the Release to allow sharing of his test results (as all other project members have done) and test to 67 markers.  Please note that sharing of results does not necessarily mean sharing of identity.  Only the project administrator and the donor necessarily need know the identity of the test subject.

Note that the above is a different mailing list from the
CARRICO Surname Mailing List at RootsWeb,
which you are also welcome to join, of course.

Message Boards at GenForum:  CARRICO | CARICO

Message Boards at RootsWeb/Ancestry:  CARRICO | CARICO

If you are seeking general information, I would recommend joining either or both of these lists:
GEN-NEWBIE and/or GENEALOGY-DNA
The former is, obviously, aimed at the novice, while the latter tends to be advanced and technical.

And for the gateway to genealogy web links, specifically DNA links, see Cyndi's List - DNA.

CARRICO in the United States Censuses
See especially the Census Summary linked there,
which reveals some significant aspects of CARRICO origins and distribution.

Every-Name Index to CARRICO Family Group Sheets

A Timeline of CARRICO in Early Charles County, Maryland

A Timeline of CARRICO in Early Kentucky

A Business & Professional Web Directory of CARRICO/etc.
(If you would like to be included in the directory, please contact the Webmaster.)

The Descent of Robbie CARRICO, 2008 American Idol Semi-Finalist, from Peter CARRICO I

CARICO, CARRICO, and CARRICOE Families (Linda Boorom)

CARRICO Genealogy Site [link died] (Ken Carrico)

The CARRICO/CARICO Connection (Pamela A. Carico)

Descendants of Peter CARRICOE I (Al Beard)

Hume Family Web Site:  Peter CARRICO (James R. Hume)