This came in from the Genealogy Tip of the Day list from PC Magazine.
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THE EFFECTS OF NATURAL DISASTERS ON RECORDS
Records may not exist for several reasons. Sometimes
this is due to natural disasters such as
Tornadoes--Cemeteries and churches often get
destroyed. For example, on June 16, 1860, the
largest F5 tornado ever recorded, called the
Comanche Tornado, took out 14 towns in Iowa,
killed over 200 people, jumped the Mississippi River
at Albany, Illinois, and totally destroyed the
cemetery on top of the hill, throwing tombstones
into the river.
Floods--Between 1840 and 1880 in Muscatine,
Iowa, more than 53 people were lost in floods,
drowning, and boating accidents in the Mississippi
River.
Disease and epidemics--Between 1740 and 1940,
more than 85 epidemics swept the country. Many
forgotten cemeteries in the Midwest are filled with
children under the age of 18 who died as a result of
cholera, measles, small pox, and other often
unheard of diseases. See
http://www.rootsweb.com/~genclass/epidemics.htm
for a listing of national and local epidemics.
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Diana J. Muir, Professional Genealogist
Former Host of the World GenWeb
Teacher of 8 free online genealogy classes at:
http://www.rootsweb.com/~genclass/