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.’
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Natural Causes Inquests
| Name | Deceased Description | Date | Inquest Location |
Death Method |
Inquest Finding |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
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| Mandy Richerson | February 18, 1929 | on Jule Campbell's Place, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths, do say: Mandy Richerson came to her Death from natural causes |
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| W. F. DeBruhl | April 20, 1859 | at the late residence of W.F. DeBruhl, Kershaw County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the said Wm. F. Debruhl came to his death by none other than a visition from God |
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| 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 |
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| Alice Miller | November 16, 1893 | in Alice Miller's house, Laurens County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that she came to her death from Heart Disease and that no violence of any kind was used by any person. |
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| Morriss unknown | free man of color | January 7, 1858 | at Grief Tater's residence, Anderson County, SC |
do say the said that Morris (a free man of color)?more than probably came to his death by dropsy of the heart |
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| 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[.] |
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| Hezehiah Gulledge | January 14, 1889 | at Clifton, Spartanburg County, SC | |||
| 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 |
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| 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 |
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| Sealy Henry | July 1, 1873 | Laurens County, SC |
we the under named jurors do find in accordance with the opinion of Dr. S. S. Knight. By disease most probably epilepsy caused her death. |
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| infant child | infant child | February 28, 1877 | at Greenville CH, Greenville County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the said infant child of Ella Mitchell came to his death caused by congestion of the liver stomach & bowels |
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| 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 |
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| Catharine Rodgers | child | September 30, 1879 | at Greenville, Greenville County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that . . . the deceased came to her death from congestion of the Lungs |
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| 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 |
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| negro child a slave | negro child a slave | January 27, 1835 | on the plantation of T Hooker, Union County, SC |
do say upon their oaths that the Sd child . . .died by the visitation of god in a natural way |
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| Sallie Perdew | January 5, 1902 | [no location given], Chesterfield County, SC |
I have this day helt a prliminary ex amination over the dad body of Sallie Prdew and from witnesses find that She Came to her dath nothing other than heart faleior or Change of life this the 4 and 5 days of January 1902 |
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| Pinkie Lemmon | at J.H. Aiken's, Fairfield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say, the said Pinkie Lemmon came to her death from Heart Disease[.] |
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| Unknown infant | Unknown infant | July 14, 1879 | at Cheraw, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that , according to the evidence before them, the said infants came to this death in the house of Alie Williams on Church street in Town of Cheraw one on Saturday night the other on Sunday - both form natural causes |
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| Elisha Farless[?] | September 15, 1847 | at Robert Youngers Mill house, Fairfield County, SC |
do say upon their oaths that the siad Elisha Farleys[?] died on the 14th[?] instant past at or in the Mill house of Robert Yongers[?] was found dead that he had no markes of violence appearing on his body and died by the visitation of God in a natural way |
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| Liberty | slave | August 1, 1843 | at John Murph's, Spartanburg County, SC |
do say uppon [sic] their oaths that he was found in his house lying dead on the floor and came to his death by the act of God |
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| Edward | slave, boy | October 22, 1858 | at the residence of Wm Miller, Edgefield County, SC |
the said Boy Came to his death by the act of Providence |
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| Jack Dendy | October 25, 1889 | at Jack Dendys, Laurens County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the said Jack Dendy came to his death "From Providential Causes." |
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| Peter Williford | May 2, 1876 | at Daniel Williford's, Anderson County, SC |
do say that some time between the hours of 3 oclock on the 1st of May 1876 and 8oclock on the 2d day of may May 1876 that the deceased came to his death by the act of God |
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| 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 |
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| Lidda Hampton | November 24, 1893 | at A Derrecks, Edgefield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the said Lidda Hampton came to her death from heart failure |
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| Adam Eubanks | April 19, 1894 | at the residence of the deceased, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that Adam Eubanks died from natural causes on the night of the 18th April 1894 at his residence |
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| Wiley W. Gandy | November 18, 1912 | at Steer Pen, Chesterfield County, SC |
the Said W W Gandy came to his death we find that the deceast W W Gandy came to his death by Natural causes |
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| James Hall | September 25, 1818 | in town of Camden, Kershaw County, SC |
do say upon a view of the body of the deceased . . . that he came to his death by the visitation of God. |
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| Simney Harrington | August 7, 1868 | at Cheraw, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that there appearing no signs of violence on his body the deceased came to his death by the visitation of God. |
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| Abram Alston | near Dawkins, Fairfield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that Abram Alston manner and form aforsaid came to his death from natural causes |
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| Unknown Infant | Unknown Infant | [no location given], Chesterfield County, SC |
[No official declaration] |
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| Andrew Boney | July 26, 1879 | at Ridgeway, Fairfield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that from the Certificate of two Physicians who reached him in his dying moment that he come to his death from Heart disease[.] |
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| Peter Moore | July 3, 1880 | at the residence of Mrs. Mary Dobson near Cedar Hill, Spartanburg County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that he came to his death ... by an act of Almighty God |
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| Lou Terry | November 25, 1884 | Spartanburg County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that [she] came to her death from natural causes |
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| 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 |
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| Dick | August 13, 1818 | on the plantation of John Boyd, Laurens County, SC |
the said Dick came to his death by the Act of God do Say upon their oaths here inserted. |
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| negro child | negro child | October 11, 1857 | at T. C. Lesters, Greenville County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that she came to her death by strangling or choking with phlegm |
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| Major | negro man the property of no person | July 29, 1845 | at the plantation of Miss M. J. Rogers, Union County, SC |
upon their oaths do say, that the above named Major came to his death by the act of God, |
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| 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 |
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| J. W. Hunnicutt | December 8, 1896 | [no location given], Chesterfield County, SC |
[No official declaration] |
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| 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 |
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| Briant King | May 16, 1861 | at the resident of W. D. H. McHaughton, Kershaw County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that on the 16th day of May 1861 in the field at home while at work [Briant] came to his death by none other than a visition of providence |
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| 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 |
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| Bessie Marshal | child | November 22, 1893 | at Henry Foster's, Laurens County, SC |
upon their oaths do say "that Bessie Marshal came to her death by the hand of Providence, at the house of Henry Foster, on the 22nd day of November 1893." |
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| Sophia Hall | March 19, 1859 | at or near Samuel Martin's residence, Anderson County, SC |
do say that no marks of violence could be seen on her body that she the said Sphia came to her death by the hand of God. |
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| 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. [?][.] |
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| M. H. Miller | April 10, 1889 | at W. T. H. Miller's, Spartanburg County, SC |
upon there oaths do say that from the evidence given Martha Miller died with heart disease |
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| 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 |
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| 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 |
