Natural Causes
The “hand of God” is an active presence in CSI:D files. To be sure, the Almighty took no part in the suicides and homicides; those were the work of men “not having God Before [their] Eyes But moved by the instigation of the Devil.” Deaths that could be traced to what we would call ‘natural causes,’ however, were typically deemed an ‘act of God,’ a ‘visitation by God,’ or the ‘dispensation of Providence.’
Such cases expand on the point made in the introduction that coroners’ inquests paint a very particular portrait of death in the nineteenth-century South. The stock and trade of the coroner’s office were sudden deaths, especially those that intruded upon the public view. An old man succumbing to slow cancer in his own home was unsuspicious and unlikely to be investigated. This explains why heart attacks and strokes (which they called apoplexy) figure more prominently than fever among the ‘hand of God’ cases in these files. It also explains the relative frequency of deaths that occurred out-of-doors. Daniel Brown died in his cotton field; Jane Laniere died “in the woods near the public road”; Hartwell Roper “fell dead ... at his plow.”
The words ‘Hand of God’ were also used in cases where the deceased had been struck by lightning. (In perhaps the strangest case, Broderick Mason and his enslaved girl, Cinthy, were killed by the same lightning bolt, a sure sign that God does not play favorites.) Despite the similarity in terminology, however, lightning deaths have been filed as accidents because, like cave ins and train crashes, they are cases of people simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time and however ‘natural’ they might seem they are not a ‘natural death.’
NEXT: Meet the Coroners
Natural Causes Inquests
| Name | Deceased Description | Date | Inquest Location |
Death Method |
Inquest Finding |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W. T. Mathis | November 11, 1897 | at the Yeldell place, Edgefield County, SC |
upon their oath do Say he come to his Death by Providential occurance or heart failure |
||
| Emaline | slave | April 4, 1862 | at R. G. H. Faws[?], Union County, SC |
upon their oaths do say . . .that the deseast came to her death by the visitation of god or some unknown cause |
|
| Ellison Blakney | October 4, 1896 | at Hick's Mine Place, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths, do say: That the said Ellison Blakney came to his death from heart trouble |
||
| Charles Aiken | at the Bell place, Fairfield County, SC |
upo their Oaths do say that the deceased Charles Aiken, came to his death form Rupture of a blood vesel at Narthers Church[.] |
|||
| Elijah M. Cooper | August 25, 1877 | at the residence of Elijah M. Cooper, Spartanburg County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the said E.M. Cooper came to his death. . .while engaged at work on his fieds near his residence from some cause which the jury believes to have been disease of the heart |
||
| Freeman Cook | March 18, 1896 | at John Cook's, Laurens County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that Freeman Cook came to his death from natural causes. |
||
| unnamed infant | unnamed infant | September 8, 1855 | at the Plantation of the late William Montgomery, Horry County, SC |
upon their Oaths do say That upon a Post-morten examination, that from the decomposed state of the Child, having been dead 8 days and buried 7 days, that we can not see any sign of violence or Poesen,--but from the emty state of the Childs Stomach and Bowels, believe that the death of the Child was caused by withholding the necessary nurishment, from its Mothers breast, or otherwise |
|
| Mary Adams | September 23, 1885 | at Mary Adams, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths, do say: That the Said Mary Adams came to her death by Sum natural caus or causes unknow to the jurys |
||
| Mrs. May M. White | January 22, 1885 | at E. P. Whites, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths, do say: That the said Mrs. Mary M. White came to her death by some natural cause or causes, on the 22nd day of January A.D. 1885 |
||
| Julia Banks | September 4, 1891 | at Mr Banks Plantation, Edgefield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that. . .Mrs Julia Banks . . .Supposed to have died from heart decise |
||
| Alex Black | October 27, 1884 | at Philadelphia in Spartanburg County, Spartanburg County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that he came to his death from disease of the brain in his field some two hundred yards from his house |
||
| Ann Eliza Loid | June 29, 1891 | at William Loid's, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon there oaths Do say that Said Lizar Loid came to her Death from Heart Disease By falling on the floor on the 28th June 1891 |
||
| Charity Bozeman | June 11, 1880 | at the house of Aby McAlister, Anderson County, SC |
do say that Charity Bozeman came to her death by Harte Deaseas [sic] |
||
| Thos P. Milnor | February 5, 1849 | at Winnsboro, Fairfield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the said Thos. P. Milnor came to his death by a visitation of Providence |
||
| Henry B. Mathers | November 26, 1841 | at the house of Benjamin Nettles, Kershaw County, SC |
upon their oaths do say the believe it was by the visitation of God |
||
| Limbrick | negro child a slave | July 22, 1856 | at Wm. R. A. Thomas's, Union County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that limbrick here lying dead came to his death by a visitation of god |
|
| Sam Clark | near Lyles Ford, Fairfield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that in their opinion Sam Clark came to his death from Heart diseas |
|||
| Laura Doneyhue | October 17, 1901 | at the Plantation of Geo Gregory, M.D., Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths, do say: nothin other than natural causes |
||
| Lewis Denham | December 6, 1883 | Spartanburg County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that said Lewis Denham ... in the field near his house died of natural causes |
||
| Simon C. Wood[?] | December 26, 1857 | at Wm Calelaziers[?], Edgefield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say, that the said Simon C Nood came to his death by some unknown cause or rather by the visitation of Providence |
||
| Marisley Malone | September 23, 1890 | at the residence. Mrs Fooshers, Laurens County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that on the night of the 22nd day of Sept. AD 1890, at the House of Mrs. Foosher in Laurens County, that the said Marilsey Malone came to her death by the Act of God. |
||
| Infant Child | Infant Child | March 12, 1891 | at Ebb Hildreth, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths, do say: That the said Infant child came to the death from natural cause or causes |
|
| Jack Odom | August 26, 1911 | at B. J. Douglass Place, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths, do say: that the aforesaid Jack Odom come to his death from natural causes |
||
| John Day | January 28, 1878 | at the Guard house, Greenville County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the said John Day came to his death from the natural cause to wit[?] congestion of the brain |
||
| Caroline Coleman | July 25, 1893 | at Brisel[?] Blacks Residence, Edgefield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say. . .that the said Caroline Coleman aforesaid came to her death from heart failure |
||
| Hezehiah Gulledge | January 14, 1889 | at Clifton, Spartanburg County, SC | |||
| Infant | February 3, 1894 | at J. B. Presson's, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say That it came to its death by natural causes sometime between midnight and day on Feb the 3rd 1894 |
||
| Caroline Batson | freed woman | November 21, 1866 | at Reedy River Church, Greenville County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that she came to her death by exposing herself while sick with fever |
|
| Robert Vandever | May 16, 1879 | at Winnsboro, Fairfield County, SC |
upon their oaths, do say: that the deceased came to his death on or about the 12th of May AD 1879 in the town of Winnsboro S.C from disease of the heart |
||
| Jacob Briges | September 18, 1832 | at the house of Jacob Briges, Spartanburg County, SC |
do say upon their oaths that it was the visitation of God |
||
| infant child | infant child | August 9, 1837 | on the plantation of Mr. Austin Wilson, Union County, SC |
do say upon their oaths that the said Child . . .died by the visitation of God in a natural way |
|
| Martha Stevenson | Fairfield County, SC |
from what I can see on the other children it died from influenza |
|||
| David S. Threatt | July 15, 1924 | at Dudley Chesterfield County S. C., Chesterfield County, SC |
I decided that under the clear facts of the surroundings that it was unnecessary to empanel a Jury to decided how he came to his death as there was no the least suspicion or doubt that the deceased came to his death by natural causes from an affliction which usually and natural terminates fatal and suddenly. |
||
| Ben Shubrick | col | December 24, 1869 | at Negro heade Lane, Edgefield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say That they find that the said Ben Shubrick col came to his death by the act of Providence |
|
| Bilpha Hargroove | February 1, 1847 | at Joseph Simmon's, Laurens County, SC |
do say upon there oaths, That after a thorough examination of the body we find no marks of violence or bruises on the body, we after a full examination of the testimony we are of opinion that the Deceased came to her death by appoplectic fit or some suffocation. |
||
| Hardy McKinney | freedman | July 28, 1867 | at an old field near F. Wyne's, Anderson County, SC |
do say that said decd being diseased came to his death by the visitation of God |
|
| David Hall | October 26, 1931 | at McBee, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths, do say: That david Hall come to his death by natural causes |
||
| Loucinda Alexander | December 7, 1883 | at the house of Camel Alexander, Greenville County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the deceased came to her death by the acts of Providence unknown to us |
||
| Richard Stevens | February 21, 1898 | at Johnston S.C., Edgefield County, SC |
upon their Oaths aforesaid, do say, that the aforesaid Dick Stevens died. . .from visitation of God |
||
| William Fisher | September 12, 1855 | at the home of Sarah Vanderford, Union County, SC |
upon their oaths do say . . .that they are of opinion that the Said William Fisher died a natural death by [?] and by the act of God |
||
| J. W. Hunnicutt | December 8, 1896 | [no location given], Chesterfield County, SC |
[No official declaration] |
||
| Rachel Manigun | at Feasterville, Fairfield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say, that Rachel Manigon[?] died from a stroke of apoplexy on the 4th of Apr. A.D. 1887, at her home on the plantation of J.B. [?][.] |
|||
| Leanora M. Cannon | February 25, 1879 | Spartanburg County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that ... the said Leonora M. Cannon died from the rupture of a blood vessel which caused a rush of blood into the lungs and instant death ensued |
||
| George Roberts | May 2, 1896 | Laurens County, SC |
we the Jury Empannelled in the case of the State vs dead body of George Roberts find that he died From Heart failure |
||
| Infant of Susie Redfern | Infant of Susie Redfern | at Mt. Croghan, Chesterfield County, SC |
[No official declaration] |
||
| Grover Cassidy | December 3, 1885 | at W. F. Pates, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths, do say: That the Said Grover Casidy came to his death on the 3d day of December A D 1885 form som nautral causes or causes unknown to the jurors |
||
| Emma Bennett | July 10, 1888 | at Cheraw, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths, do say: That the Said Emma Benitt came to her death by Som natural caus or causes to the Jury unknown |
||
| Garett Doby | October 11, 1880 | at William Rufus, Edgefield County, SC |
upon their oaths do Say That he came to his death from dropsey of the hart |
||
| Lou Terry | November 25, 1884 | Spartanburg County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that [she] came to her death from natural causes |
||
| William A. Jordan | December 12, 1891 | at William M. Jordan's, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths, do say: that Said Infant came to his death from Some causes or causes to the Jury unknown |
