Genealogist Mike Karsen tells a lurid tale to highlight tricks of the trade at the next in the Clallam County Genealogical Society’s Speaker Series. Karsen offers his presentation, “Sex, Murder, and Genealogy?,” at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 9, available for viewing on Zoom at the society’s research center — at 403 E. Eighth St., Port Angeles — or at home (email to askus@clallamcogs.org for the passcode).

In his program, Karsen will tell the story of Dora Feldman McDonald, the daughter of German Jewish immigrants who made the front page of Chicago newspapers in 1907 when she shot her lover. McDonald, who was married to one of the more powerful political bosses in Chicago at the time, used murder to end this affair and her lover’s blackmail.

Find out what ever happened to her after her dramatic acquittal the following year, as Karsen uses every trick in his tool bag to set the record straight and follow her trail.

Karsen is a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists and the Genealogical Speakers Guild Illinois. He has presented more than 300 talks on genealogy topics locally, nationally, and internationally including Newberry Library and Spertus Institute for Jewish Learning and Leadership in Chicago. He is the author of the JewishGen website, “Guide to Jewish Genealogy in Chicagoland,” and has published articles on genealogy. He holds an undergraduate degree in mathematics/computer science and a master’s in operations research alongside 30 years in telecommunications management.

For more information about the presentation or the Clallam County Genealogical Society, call 360-417-5000 between 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Monday-Friday, or noon-4 p.m. on Saturdays, or leave a message.