CARRICO: Y-chromosome DNA Surname Project

The CARRICO Y-chromosome DNA Surname Project
including Spelling Variations and Similar Surnames, such as,
CARICO, CARRIÇO, CARRICOE, CURRICOE, CARUCHO, CARACO, CARAÇO,
CARRICA, CARRACO, CARACHO, KARAHO, CARASSO, CARAÇOS, CARICCO, etc.

This project utilizes Y-chromosome DNA testing as a tool for genealogical research on surname CARRICO and similar surnames and spelling variations.

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).

Genealogy has always been a cooperative endeavor, but never more so than in proving our ancestry genetically. From my point of view, every male CARRICO owes it to their name to get tested, whether they're interested in their own genealogy, or not. If you are researching CARRICO or any similar surname, please consider having a male family member submit a sample to the project. The more participants we have, the more we can prove about our origins.

[ Answers to Frequently Asked Questions ]

[ Basics of DNA Testing for Genealogy ] [ More on Genealogy and Genetics ]

View the Alternate Project Web Site at FamilyTreeDNA
This site includes a distribution map of member origins.

Project Join Request Form

DNA Test Results and Member Lineages

Project History and Status

The CARRICO project was opened in August 2004. As of July 2009, the project has 20 members, with results returned for 18, plus results from one individual tested outside the project.

Discussion of Results

Members of the CARRICO project currently fall into four unrelated groups — unrelated, that is, in "genealogical time" (we're all related if you go back far enough):

Maryland
J-2a4b*
(n = 13 + 1)

Portugal
J-2a4b-1
(n = 1)

Turkey
L-2a
(n = 2)

NPE
R-1b1b-2a1b
(n = 2)

Haplogroup J2

Haplogroup J2 first appeared about 30,000 years ago in the northern Fertile Cresent, spreading from there westwards around the Mediterranean and eastwards through central Asia and southwards to India.

Haplogroup J-2a4b* = J-M67* — descendants of Peter CARRICO I, immigrant to Maryland

Most of these individuals are paper descendants of the American progenitor, Peter CARRICO, 1674 immigrant to Maryland, including one surnamed BLAINE who has a deliberate surname change in his patrilineal line. The rest are presumed descendants of Peter. The haplotypes of those tested to 67 markers match each other at high levels, with none having a genetic distance of more than 3 from the family's modal haplotype, solidly establishing that they have a near common ancestor. Several have undergone deep SNP testing, with the result that they are Haplogroup J-2a4b* on the FTDNA haplotree (= J-2a1b* on the ISOGG tree).

Their haplotypes are unique, which is not particularly unusual (about 40% of individuals tested have no match "out of the gate"); however, their haplotypes are so unique that their distance to their nearest common ancestor, even within their own J-2a4b subclade, is calculated to be some 3210 to 4530 years. They have a value at one marker that is so unusual, I'm told no one else so far tested has this value (DYS425=10t). These unusual results have attracted the attention of Haplogroup J researchers, which is very much to our benefit as we can rely on their interest to sort out our distant origins.

The mutation defining J-2a4b (M67+) occurred an estimated 11.6 ± 2.6 thousand years ago. Today, individuals of this subclade can be found throughout southern Europe, the Middle East, and northern Africa, but the highest concentrations are in Italy and the countries surrounding the eastern Black Sea (viz., Turkey, Georgia, Armenia, and southern Russia).

Haplogroup J-2a4b-1 = J-M92 — descendant of Joaquim CARRICO, of Portugal

This member descends from Joaquim Anastor CARRICO, who was born in Portugal and emigrated to Brazil. His haplotype is unique, so he has no matches with anyone at any level, though his haplotype is not as bizarre as that of the CARRICOs above. He has not been SNP tested, but his haplotype includes the characteristic null value at DYS425, which indicates he is subclade J-2a4b-1 on the FTDNA haplotree.

The mutation defining J-2a4b-1 (M92+) arose an estimated 8.8 ± 2.3 thousand years ago. Today, individuals of this subclade can found in southern and eastern Europe, the Middle East, central and southern Asia, northeastern Africa, and India. It is most concentrated in southern Italy, southern Greece, Turkey, Egypt, and India.

Haplogroup L

Haplogroup L appeared about 30,000 years ago and while most common in southern India (as L1) and Pakistan (as L3), it is spread thinly westwards across central Asia, southwestern Asia, and southern Europe (as L2). Haplogroup L, along with Haplogroup J2, is thought to have been a founding population of the civilization of the Indus Valley.

Haplogroup L-2a = L-M349 — CARACO of Bursa, Turkey

These two individuals have no known paper connection, but both have an origin in Bursa Prov., Turkey (currently, one lives in France, the other in the United States). One is a practicing Sephardic Jew. Their haplotypes are rare, with no full matches with anyone else, including each other. They match at the level of 33/37, which means they have a 95% chance of being related within 18 generations, some time in the 1400s. By upgrading to 67 markers, we could have a better approximation as to the nearness of their common ancestor.

Orthographically, surname CARACO appears Spanish, not Turkish, and the surname is most common in Spain. It is known that, in the 1490s, Sephardic Jews fled the Spanish Inquisition by migrating to Turkey, so it appears this family was among them.

Subclade L-2a is sometimes called the "Mediterranean" subclade of L because it occurs (at a low frequency) across southern Europe in the countries bordering the north coast of the Mediterranean Sea, from Turkey to Portugal.

Haplogroup R1b

R1b is the most common haplogroup in western Europe reaching a frequency of 70-80% in the British Isles. It is the group believed to have re-populated Europe from an Iberian refugium when the last glacial ice sheet retreated about 10-12,000 years ago.

Haplogroup R-1b1b-2a1b = R-P312 — Reason CARRICO of Sullivan Co., IN

These two brothers are descendants of Charles CARRICO of Sullivan Co., IN, presumed descendant of Peter CARRICO I, the immigrant, through Charles's son, Reason CARRICO (1790s-1878), but they do not match the other descendants of Peter CARRICO I, including descendants of Reason's brothers, Basil and Josiah CARRICO. It appears these brothers have an NPE, a "non-paternal event" (i.e., a hidden adoption or illicit paternity), in their patrilineal line, somewhere upstream of their father and downstream of Charles. The NPE points to Reason having been adopted because, if so, it would resolve the long-standing issue of his birthdate being too close to that of his next younger sibling.

One of the two brothers has been tested to 67 markers, and he has a 62/67 match with a descendant of Farrell LITTLETON, immigrant from London, England, to Virginia, which is only barely close enough for him to be a direct descendant of Farrell, but does support that they probably have a common ancestor back in England.

It was expected that the paper descendants of Peter CARRICO, 1674 immigrant to Maryland, would match closely, and they do. Peter's many descendants should have no difficulty proving their connection to him. Other lines, without paper connections to Peter, but presumed to be his descendants, have been connected via DNA, namely: John Alexander CARRICO, of MD, then KY, then IN; the two Cornelius CARRICOs (the elder and the younger); James T. CARRICO of MD and KY; Charles CARRICO of MD, KY, and IN; Peter CARRICO, of Preston Co., WV; Matthew G. CARRICO of Spencer Co., KY, and Panola Co., TX; and John W. CARRICO of Prince William Co., VA.

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.

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" this 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).

First Results Pending

First results are pending for two new members: 1) a descendant of Nathaniel CARRICO (c1782-1854) of Washington Co., KY, and 2) a descendant of Proteus CARRICO of Hardin/Larue Co., KY, and Siskiyou Co., CA.

More Results Pending

The descendant of Matthew G. CARRICO has ordered the Palindromic Pack, with just one marker not yet returned.

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.

Basics of DNA Testing for Genealogy

This DNA project is based on STR (short tandem repeat) testing of the male Y-chromosome. Test results consist of numbers which represent the counts of the number of times a DNA segment is duplicated at a given marker (locus or location). Closely related individuals will have the same counts at the same markers, that is, the degree of similarity of the test results is a measure of how closely two people are related. The more markers you test, the more precise the determination of relationship. At FamilyTreeDNA, four levels of Y-chromosome STR testing are offered to group members: 12-, 25-, 37-, and 67-marker tests. Every level of testing tells you something, but most project members will want to test at least 37 markers. Collectively, the pattern of numbers resulting from STR testing is called a person's haplotype (or "motif").

STR testing measures relationship in a time frame of hundreds of years, making the distance to the MRCA (most recent common ancestor) sufficiently close to be genealogically useful. And "useful" is an understatement. STR testing is a powerful tool for determing whether people do or do not share a recent common ancestor.

There is another form of Y-chromosome DNA testing called SNP testing — the acronym stands for "single nucleotide polymorphism" and is pronounced as a single word, "snip." Results of SNP testing are expressed as + or - (positive or negative) to indicate the presence or absence of a particular mutation. Each suspected mutation requires a separate test. Results of SNP testing determine a person's haplogroup, and deep testing can identify subgroups, called "subclades."

The haplogroup (sometimes abbreviated, "Hg") is a measure of deep ancestry. The MRCA may be thousands of years in the past, which places the individual's ancestry in a paleoanthropological time frame. Haplogroup determination is of practical use for the project because it broadly defines and separates the most distinct family groups; that is, families with no prospect whatsoever of a connection in "genealogical time," making it a useful way to divide up the project. For the individual, knowing one's SNP subclade greatly enhances one's appreciation of history because the literature on the genetic history of humanity, correlated with historic and pre-historic events, is growing rapidly. Speaking personally, compiling my genealogy greatly enhanced my appreciation of U.S. and European history, while discovering my parents' haplogroups has enhanced my appreciation of the global history of humanity. I wish I had known these things about myself when I was growing up, but at least the future children in the family will know.

If the STR-based haplotype is reasonably common (or similar to one that is), it can be used to deduce the probable SNP haplogroup, making the expense of actual SNP testing optional. On the other hand, a haplogroup deduction based on a rare or unique haplotype can be wrong (due to small sample size), so a SNP test is recommended in such cases — assuming the subject is interested in an accurate haplogroup designation. Haplogroup determination is (to me) a fun thing to know about oneself, but it is not a requisite for full participation in this project, which is based on the results of STR testing, not SNP testing.

General Funds

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.

SUBSIDIZED TESTING!

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.

CARRICO-DNA Mailing List at RootsWeb
Anyone interested is welcome to join the list, whether a member of the DNA project, or not.

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.

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.

Other CARRICO/etc. Links (On Site)

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.)

Other CARRICO/etc. Links (Off Site)

CARICO, CARRICO, and CARRICOE Families (Linda Boorom)

CARRICO Genealogy Site (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)

Message Boards at GenForum: CARRICO | CARICO

Message Boards at RootsWeb/Ancestry: CARRICO | CARICO

The project administrator and webmaster is yours truly, Diana Gale Matthiesen. I am a volunteer and receive no financial remuneration of any kind from FamilyTreeDNA, nor am I even one of their "web affiliates" (i.e., I don't profit from "click throughs"). I'm a retired zoologist/paleontologist, and genealogy is my hobby. My interest here stems from my being a descendant of Charles CARRICO of Sullivan Co., IN, whom DNA test results have proven is a descendant of Peter CARRICO I, the 1674 immigrant to Maryland, although a paper connection has not yet been made. My CARRICO line then daughtered out when Charles's daughter, Catherine CARRICO, married Joseph TRIMBLE.

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