Speaker - BCGS Members Meeting 10 June 2026

Beyond the Paper Trail: Leveraging Y-DNA and Documentation to Reconstruct the Neill/McNeil Lineage

Marisa Cooper

18th-Century Lineage Resolution: Marisa successfully identified the Most Recent Common Ancestor (MRCA) for two distinct Neill and McNeil lines dating back to the 1700s. This involved detailed haplotype analysis to resolve deep paternal signatures and confirm the MCRA progenitor where paper trails were insufficient

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Marisa Cooper is a genetic and forensic genealogist with a decade of experience solving "brick wall" family mysteries through her practice, Our Story Canada. She specializes in genetic genealogy, using advanced DNA tools like Y-DNA and triangulation to provide answers for people who have no paper trail or have discovered errors in their family records. By combining DNA science with deep research, Marisa uncovers biological connections and restores lost family histories, helping people find the truth about their heritage when traditional documents fall short.