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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| E. P. Brown | January 1, 1879 | at Mrs. E.P. Browns, Fairfield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the Deceased came to to her death at her Residence Dec. the 31st A.D. 1878 from enlargement of the heart[.] |
||
| Madison Materson | at Blythewood, Fairfield County, SC |
upon their oath do say that the above decest came to its Death by natural causes on June 20-1895[.] |
|||
| Dick | slave | March 19, 1837 | at the house of Edward Gregory, Union County, SC |
do say that the said Dick . . .died by the visitation of God in a natural way |
|
| J. H. Collins | June 30, 1896 | at G.W. Morris' place, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths, do say: that the Deceased came to his death from natural causes, from the effects of Rheumatism. |
||
| Joe Elam | February 16, 1882 | at Nicholson premises, Edgefield County, SC |
upon there Oaths do say that Joe Elam Came to his death from Natural Causes |
||
| Mary Champion | November 10, 1870 | at Camden, Camden, S.C., Kershaw County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that [the] deceased came to her death by a visitation or the act of God |
||
| Borough | August 21, 1853 | on the high Road near Marengo, Laurens County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that he had no marks of violence upon him and that he died by the visitation of God & not otherwise. |
||
| infant | November 27, 1870 | at William Stuart's residence, Anderson County, SC |
do say that. . .said child was dead born |
||
| Mrs. Joe Landon | October 11, 1929 | [no location given], Chesterfield County, SC |
according to evidence that an inquest is not necessary |
||
| James Hammons | March 25, 1884 | at Andrew Bristers, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths, do say: That the Said James Hammons came to his death by some natural caus or causes unknown to the jurors |
||
| Emanuel Thomas | at Winnsboro, Fairfield County, SC |
upon their Oaths do say that the deceased came to his death from natural causes[.] |
|||
| infant | September 30, 1884 | at the residence of W. A. Reed, Spartanburg County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the said infant came to its death resulting from scarlett fever or whatever the disease might have been |
||
| Sam | negro, slave | September 18, 1846 | at the residence of Mrs Nancy Delaughter, Edgefield County, SC |
upon their Oaths do say. . .died by the visitation of God. |
|
| George Center | October 28, 1880 | at George W. Centers, Greenville County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the said George W Center came to his death by heart disease |
||
| Fanny Sullivan | at JS Martins, Laurens County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that on the 17th day of November 1882 Fanny Sullivan came to her death by a disease of the Heart and appoplexy. |
|||
| Infant of C. P. Rushing | Infant of C. P. Rushing | December 19, 1894 | at C. P. Rushing's Place, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths, do say: That the said child came to its death from some natural cause or causes |
|
| Levy | negro man slave | January 9, 1849 | at Austin Wilson's, Union County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that Levy Came to his death by natural Cause and that was an Act of God |
|
| Caroline Timons | January 10, 1901 | at Mount Croghan, Chesterfield County, SC |
I have this day held a preliminary examination ovr the dad body of Caroline Timons and from the evidence of witness I do not deam It necary to hold an inqest but form such witness find that the Sed Caroline Timons came to her dath from none other than natural Causes this The 10 day of January 1901 |
||
| Jack Taylor | April 11, 1892 | at the house of Hal[?] Miles, Edgefield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the said Jack Taylor. . .came to his death by the act of God. He having died from old age 84 years and having hearty failure bleeding Hemorage of the lungs and asthma |
||
| Kent | slave | January 12, 1845 | at the house of David Maberry, Spartanburg County, SC |
do say upon their oaths that the said slave Kent came to his death by the visitation of God |
|
| James Robinson | May 20, 1883 | n.a., Anderson County, SC |
came to his death by the act of God in the form of Apoplexy |
||
| Hardy | January 17, 1848 | at the house of I.B. McCall, Fairfield County, SC |
upon their oath, do say that the said negro man came to his death by a dispensation of Providence |
||
| Rachell Smith | at the McDowell place, Fairfield County, SC |
upon their Oaths do say that the deceased came to her death from dissease of the heart. |
|||
| Nelly Grazier | July 8, 1888 | at Enora, Spartanburg County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that thy are the believe that the said Nellie Grazier came to her death by the hand of providence |
||
| R. H. Crawford | January 26, 1894 | at Elisha Boans, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths, do say: That the deceased R.H. Crawford came to his death from some natural cause or causes unknown to me |
||
| John G. Riddle | July 3, 1860 | at the residence of Mr Richard Burton, Edgefield County, SC |
upon there oaths do say that John G Riddle died a natural death caused by infirmitys of old age |
||
| John Nelson | June 5, 1826 | in the house of John Nelson Sen'r on Grannie's Quarter, Kershaw County, SC |
do say upon their oaths that he came to his death by the visitation of God |
||
| Ned Dial | December 25, 1890 | at Powers, Laurens County, SC |
upon their oaths do say That Ned Dial came to his death from natural causes. |
||
| Mary May | April 14, 1854 | at J. W. May's, Anderson County, SC |
believe came to her death by the hand of Providence. |
||
| S. D. Lawton | July 19, 1911 | at Chesterfield County, South Carolina, Chesterfield County, SC |
S. D. Lawton suddenly, without any bad natural causes, as far as deponent knows or believes, dropped dead |
||
| Negro child | Negro child | September 29, 1835 | at Robt Beety[?], Union County, SC |
do say upon their oaths that The said child . . .died by the visitation of God in a natural way |
|
| L. M. Stroud | August 18, 1909 | at Tom Strouds, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say: that the said Mrs. P. M. Stroud came to her death from natural causes |
||
| Ana May Blocker | child | December 2, 1894 | at Ben Boatwrights farm, Edgefield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say: That the child Came to its death from causes unknown |
|
| Martha M. Kerr | March 10, 1881 | at the house of Edward L. Kerr, Spartanburg County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the said Martha M. Kerr came to her death by the act of God: hemorage of the lungs |
||
| Moriah Scott | infant child | September 26, 1875 | at Ness[?] Scott's, Greenville County, SC |
upon their oaths, do say that Moriah L. Scott infant child . . .came to her death from cold |
|
| Charles Jones | February 11, 1879 | at R.J. Gladney's, Fairfield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the aforesaid Charles Jones came to his death by disease unknown to the Jury[.] |
||
| Mary Knopp | Fairfield County, SC |
do state that said Mrs Mary Knopp came to her death by "heart failure." |
|||
| Dinah | slave | January 25, 1859 | at the late residence of John Gregory deseast, Union County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that she died of [?] of the heart which has been protracted[?] for the last ten or twelve months |
|
| Mary Hillian | October 30, 1896 | at R.E. River's place, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths, do say: the said May Hillian came to her death from accidental Hemmorage of the lungs |
||
| B. C. Bryan | March 16, 1884 | at B C Bryan Residence, Edgefield County, SC |
upon there oaths do say. . .that the said B C Bryan Come to his death. . .from disease of the Heart |
||
| Henry Clarkson | May 10, 1871 | at Antiark Church, Kershaw County, SC |
upon their oaths do say ... that the aforesaid Henry Clarkson ... came to his death disease of the heart |
||
| Nehemiah Franks | July 27, 1859 | at Nehemiah Franks, Laurens County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that he the aforesaid Nehemiah Franks in manner and form aforesaid do say that he came to his death in his own house by the act of God. |
||
| infant | January 23, 1873 | at residence of M. A. Snipes, Anderson County, SC |
do say that it came to its death by the act of God |
||
| Vance Melton | January 18, 1930 | at Cheraw, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths, do say: that he came to his death from natural causes |
||
| 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 |
||
| 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[.] |
|||
| 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 Johnson | March 11, 1847 | at the Residence of Charity Johnson, late deceased, Edgefield County, SC |
do say upon their oaths, that the said Charity Johnson. . .died by the visitation of God |
||
| Elizabeth Cook | May 27, 1881 | at Greenville, Greenville County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that. . . the said Elizabeth came to her death from heart disease |
