Michelle Patient, BSc DipFamHist

Having studied Pure and Applied Chemistry, Geology and Family History, Michelle Patient has a love of data, facts and research. Working for many years in civil engineering laboratories before moving into programming databases for marketing projects, she has spoken to various community and work-related groups since the 1970's. Michelle grew up with a grandmother whose family stories, photographs, and memorabilia sparked her life-long interest in genealogy. In 1987 Michelle began searching for her English half-sister, and in 2005 she reconnected her mother with her birth family. With ancestry ranging from Deep English on her paternal side and early Australian military, convicts and early colonists on her maternal side, her personal research covers a wide range of British Isles Diasporas and early Down Under research. She has separated facts from fiction, uncovering stories of will disputes, adoptions, children being given away, bankruptcies, and murder-suicides. Adding DNA research to her genealogy tool kit has increased the range of Michelle’s methods, revealing skeletons, and breaking down many brick walls. Michelle volunteers for several genealogical societies, is a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists (APG) and is the DNA consultant behind the Australian TV series Every Family has a Secret.