Quite an interesting if somewhat macabre list. :) A couple of thoughts came to my mind as I read the list.

First, many of the disasters only effected a local region. Sometimes only a city was effected in the case of fires, floods, earthquakes, storms, etc. The time line could be supplemented for the areas of your research using local histories.

Second, these tragedies disrupted people's lives in myriad ways. An ancestor's disappearance at the time of a tragedy is only a clue. The tragedy may have left them homeless and/or without family leading to migrations, remarriages, etc. Any of these events could cause a person's name to disappear from the record after a disaster. Their demise is only one possibility. But, a clue is a clue . . .

This is the thread where we will post discussion about this chapter. Please post your comments in the correct chapter topic to make it easier for all to follow along. (I doubt that spoilers will be a problem with this book, but the Chapter topics will help organize the discussions).

Appendix B: Historical Time Line of Deadly Diseases, Epidemics, and Disasters in America 1516-1981