I found this as it is, I don't have any explanations for the symbols but I think you can figure it out. If you have a bunch of folks in your file that died in a certain period before their 50th birthday or so then you might want to look at this to see if their area was subject to an epidemic. This is not the final word though in epidemics. I know that Influenza swept OK in 1903 killing hundreds but I guess that was too small an area. Epidemics of the US 1702 Yellow Fever US*NY 1702 Scarlet Fever US Boston 1706 Yellow Fever US SC 1713 Measles US Boston 1721 Smallpox US Boston 1723 Influenza WW 1723 Famine UK*7 years poor harvests & epidemics 1728 Yellow Fever US SC 1729 MeaslesUSBoston 1732 Yellow FeverUSSC 1732 Influenza WW* 1735 Diphtheria/scarlet fever US*4 yrs -New England 1738 Smallpox US S.Carolina 1739 Measles US*Boston 1743 Yellow FeverUS*NY 1747 MeaslesUSCT, NY, PA, SC 1759 MeaslesUSNorth America 1761 InfluenzaUS& West Indies 1763 SmallpoxUS*Boston 1772 MeaslesUS 1775 InfluenzaWW* 1783 Bilious disorderUSFatal 1788 MeaslesUSPA, NY 1789 InfluenzaUS 1792 Yellow FeverUS*7 yrs 1793 UnknownUSPA 1793 InfluenzaUSVermont, Virginia 1802 SmallpoxUSNebraska 1803 Yellow FeverUSNY 1820 "Fever"US* 1826 CholeraWW*1826-37 1826 Dengue FeverUS* and West Indies 1829 MalariaUS* 1831 CholeraUKStarted WW 1826 1831 CholeraUS* 1832 InfluenzaUS 1833 CholeraUSOhio 1834 CholeraUSNY 1837 TyphusUSPA 1837 SmallpoxUSIndians 1841 Yellow FeverUS 1847 MeaslesUSIndians 1847 Yellow FeverUSNO 1847InfluenzaWW* 1848CholeraWW* 1850Yellow FeverUS 1850InfluenzaUS* 1850Dengue FeverUS* 1851CholeraUSIL 1852Yellow FeverUSNO 1853CholeraBirmingham?This came from a UK report with the ? 1855Yellow FeverUS 1857InfluenzaWW* 1860SmallpoxUS*Pennsylvania 1861EpidemicsUS*Civil war numerous infectious diseases 1865SmallpoxUS* 1865CholeraUS 1865TyphusUS* 1868SmallpoxUS*7 yrs 1873InfluenzaUK*N. America & Europe 1873CholeraUS 1878Yellow FeverUSNO 1885TyphoidUSPA 1886Yellow FeverUSFL 1889InfluenzaWW* 1893PolioUS1st known outbreak 1900PlagueUS* 1901SmallpoxUS* 1907PolioUS*9 yrs. 1917InfluenzaWW*Worst ever 1931PolioUS 1942PolioUS11 yrs * - means the epidemic is spread over more than one year.