Marie Palmer is a professional genealogist, educator, and writer who combines skills gained from her work as a librarian, teacher, and computer engineer to deliver in-depth research, engaging family stories, and education to a wide variety of cultures and audiences. She is passionate about helping people solve both old and new family mysteries using a combination of traditional research and newer DNA applications. 

Marie particularly enjoys teaching others about family history research and the applications of DNA to help solve genealogical mysteries. For over twenty years, she developed and taught a wide variety of in-person and online courses and acted as a consultant for libraries throughout British Columbia and Manitoba. She holds a certificate in genealogical research from Boston University, co-chaired her ProGen study group, and has completed the Advanced DNA Evidence course at the Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh (GRIP) and the All-DNA Advanced Evidence Analysis Practicum through SLIG. She has worked with Legacy Tree Genealogists and most recently taught a multi-week in-depth course through the Applied Genealogy Institute.

Marie's writing has been published internationally and she recently won the IHGS Diamond Jubilee Writing Competition for her narrative, The Pages of Liverpool.

 

Geographic Specialties

Ontario, Québec, England, Wales

Geographic Specialities
Ontario, Québec, England, Wales

Testimonials
"This was a very moving account of poverty in Liverpool - gritty, raw and powerful. The story was very well researched and written with layers of social history and context that drew the reader in, allowing them to empathise with the struggles and adversity that Mary and James faced throughout their lives. The poverty and tragedy were brought to life by the quotes and extracts, making this an absorbing and compelling piece of story telling as well as showcasing the research methodology that underpinned it. I was particularly impressed by the honesty of this account, with Mary's difficulties laid bare by recollections from later generations. Too many family histories turn into a hagiography; this story revealed the lengths people would go to in their struggle to survive." - Dr. Nick Barratt (Judge, Institute of Heraldic and Genealogical Studies Diamond Jubilee Essay Competition)

"Marie has achieved what we thought was impossible. My mother never told us who her father was, and when she died at 93 in 2001, all she left was a birth certificate with her mother's name on it. We had gone through all the letters, bible entries, and other information we had available. This year, we also did DNA tests with two different companies to try and find matches, but we were still at a dead end. Marie's incredible sleuthing and diligent methodology has turned up records we had no idea existed. We finally have a name for my grandfather. Marie has done truly amazing genealogical research, and we are so grateful." -Name withheld for privacy reasons

"My husband and I attended a wonderful presentation by Marie Palmer. She quickly ignited our interest in pursuing the task of building our own family trees with the intent of adding many kitchen table family stories. Fortunately, Marie was available to help with the exciting journey of discovering the characters, times & places. Her skills at research, analysis and the compiling of documents are professional with clear reports of her findings. Her organizational skills are just what I need! And most importantly Marie is a pure delight to work with!" - Joan Bennett

Publications/Media
The Pages of Liverpool, Winner of the IHGS Diamond Jubilee Writing Competition, August 2021.

"Study of Future Public Library Trends & Best Practices,"
Public Libraries Quarterly, January 2021.

Lectures

• Getting Started with Ancestry.com & DNA Testing
• DNA Testing for Genealogy
• Getting Started with Online Genealogy Research
• When Official Records Are Wrong: a Case Study Using the Genealogical Proof Standard
• Sharing & Writing About Your Family History
• Back to School Basics for the Family Historian
• Travelling Back in Time Using Google Earth

Research Time Periods

• 20th Century
• 19th Century

Certificates
Certificate in Genealogical Research (Boston University)
 

Affiliations
Member:

• National Genealogical Society
• Association of Professional Genealogists
• British Columbia Genealogical Society
• Liverpool & Southwest Lancashire Family History Society

Degrees

• Bachelor of Applied Science, Electrical Engineering (University of Waterloo)
• Bachelor of Education (University of British Columbia)
• Master of Science, Information Science and Library Management (University of Northumbria)