Hello again,
Finding and testing the potential or presumed descendants of Peter CARRICO I
will probably be the bulk of the work of this project, partly because he had *so
many* descendants and partly because it's his descendants who have so many
questions about their origin, given that Peter's origin is shrouded in mystery.
CARRICOs still living Europe or elsewhere are not so curious. They know where
they "came from" because they're still living there. Likewise, the 20th
Century
immigrants to the U.S. They're close enough to their immigrant to know where he
came from. We are very fortunate that we have, with only six members so far,
managed to bring two of them into the project (the CARRICO with an origin in
Portugal and the CARACO with an origin in Turkey). These are the people we --
speaking selfishly here as a descendant of the Maryland immigrant -- need to
bring into the project if we are to have any hope of identifying Peter's origin.
Speaking less selfishly, although the Turkish CARACO knows exactly what city he
is from, the Portuguese CARRICO does not, so he is on a quest, too. How do we
do it?
One way is to Google search the surname. When I can find a CARRICO with an
email address, I email him about the project. Another is to join mailing lists
and post on message boards, making offers of subsidized testing. I found our
Portuguese CARRICO on the Portugal board at GenForum, and I was put in contact
with our Turkish CARACO through the Sephardic Forum mailing list at yahoogroups.
This effort will continue, but there's nothing to stop any of you from doing it,
too.
Another method I haven't used is one I'm going to have to ask you to do, for the
reason that I daughtered out of CARRICO. This method is best used by someone
surnamed CARRICO, and what I'm suggesting is "cold-calling" CARRICOs in the
phone book. Just call up and say something like,
"Hello, my name is ___ CARRICO. I'm sorry to bother you, but I'm working on
my
family's genealogy. I descend from Peter CARRICO, the 1674 immigrant to
Maryland, and I wonder if you might descend from him, too."
Please note that you've divulged quite a bit of information before you've given
them a chance to say no and hang up. If they're a CARRICO and don't know their
origin, surely their interest will be piqued by the prospect of being connected
to Peter. If they do know their origin and, especially if they tell you where
that origin is, you can then tell them you're on a quest to find Peter's origin,
and you wonder if Peter might be from [wherever], too. Then you can tell them
about the DNA project, which of course is best done by someone who's been DNA
tested themselves (hint,hint).
When I first started doing genealogy, nine years ago, I ran up a $700 long
distance phone bill in the first two months, just cold-calling people of the
right surname in the right place -- and following the leads I was given. I
managed to find every living descendant of both sets of my grandparents, which
was a lot of people because my grandparents were born in the 1870s, and my
maternal grandmother had eight surviving children. I learned by trial and error
what was effective, and I found the most important thing (over and above the
obvious of being polite and friendly) was for me to be very "divulgent" about
myself and my family. If you're the least bit "cagey" or reticent, their
suspicions will be aroused and they'll hang up. You also can't be nosey.
Don't
directly ask them for information, let them give it to you. If they don't give
it to you, keep divulging, until they want to start sharing. And if they remain
tight as a clam, thank them for their time, apologize for interrupting their
day, give them your phone number and/or email address and/or the web address,
and hang up. If they didn't feel threatened by your inquisitiveness, they may
contact you later, when they've had a chance to think about it -- and to visit
the project web site where they can read more about it.
It can be awkward to give someone a long web address over the phone. If they're
computer literate and familiar with Google, suggest they simply Google
carrico dna
This should put the project at the top of the hit list, making it easy for them
to reach, for the first time and any subsequent time. I think it also
reinforces the legitimacy of the project to have it at the top of the hit list.
Well, those are my suggestions. Perhaps y'all can think of some more ways.
Please keep in mind that I am the *least* effective salesperson for the project
because people instantly think I have an ulterior motive (as in profiting from
their joining, even when I tell them I'm a volunteer). The most effective
salespersons for the project are you, the members, especially those of you
surnamed CARRICO, because it's clear your motives are entirely genealogical. In
the end, the success of the project will hinge on how many people join. And if
you're as impatient as I am, you want them to join NOW!!
Diana
P.S.