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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
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| negro child | negro child | January 16, 1854 | at [???], Union County, SC |
do say upon their oaths . . .that it came to its death by the visitation of God |
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| Edward William Davis | September 29, 1870 | at Ridgeway, Fairfield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the said Edward William Davis. "came to his death by a Pulmonary Congestion with Hemorrhage caused from heart disease |
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| Sallie Manigo | at Mrs. E.M. Turner's place, Fairfield County, SC |
upon there oaths do say. That the said Sallie Manigo came to her death from some natural cause unknown to the Jury. |
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| Strather Freeman | March 2, 1876 | at Flat Rock Church, Anderson County, SC |
do say deceased came to his death by disease of the heart. |
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| John Jones | December 16, 1817 | at John Jones's, Spartanburg County, SC |
do say upon their oaths. . .that the said John Jones did die a natural death |
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| James W. Steene | August 22, 1898 | at the Residence of Deceased James W. Steene, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say...we find that The deceased came to his death from Heart Falure |
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| Tower | December 27, 1809 | at Benjamin Strange's, Laurens County, SC |
do say upon their oaths that they believe his death came by the act of god |
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| 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. |
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| Joshua Clark | January 26, 1885 | on a rode leading from B. B. Martin's to John Champions, Spartanburg County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that said deceased came to his death by an organic disease of the Heart |
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| Charley Turner | February 8, 1922 | at J W Patsobe, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths, do say: That Charley Turner came to his death from natural cause |
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| Infant of Diliar Harrell | Infant of Diliar Harrell | September 15, 1905 | at Mr. Douglass's Mill, Chesterfield County, SC |
so the said Jurors aforesaid, upon their oaths aforesaid, do say that the aforesaid child came to death by causes unknown to them. |
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| Caswell Waldrop | April 18, 1882 | at the residence of Caswell Waldrop, Greenville County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that . . . the said Caswell Waldrop . . . came to his death from the effect of an epileptic fit. |
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| 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 |
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| William McLure | December 7, 1844 | at or near the plantation of John Gage, Union County, SC |
do say that the said William McLure . . .was found lying dead near a small path leading from Union Ville to the plantation of John Gage . . .we therefore do believe that he died from some providential cause to us unknown |
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| Thomas Stevenson | at the Jesse Wayride place, Fairfield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the deceased Thos. Stevenson, came to his death from some disease supposed to be disease of the Heart[.] |
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| Susan Oliver | March 27, 1893 | at W. B. Oliver's, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths, do say: that the said Susan Oliver came to her death by cause or causes unknown to us |
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| Ed Caldwell | at Jas. McFir's[?] place, Fairfield County, SC |
upon their Oaths do say that the deceased Ed Caldwell came to his death from heart dissease at his home[.] |
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| George | slave | June 24, 1857 | at W.B. family[?] plantation, Greenville County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the said George came to his death by the [?] of Almighty God. |
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| Simon West | March 25, 1857 | near the house of dec'd, Spartanburg County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that it is by the visitation of God |
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| Bird Yarbor | December 20, 1903 | at McBee, SC, Chesterfield County, SC |
the deceased -- Bird Yarbor -- came to his death by heart failure or some natural cause. |
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| Auguiste Campbell | October 30, 1868 | at Auguiste Campbell's, Laurens County, SC |
upon their oaths aforesaid do say that the Decd. Auguiste Campbell came to his death, from the continual use of peach brandy, he the decd. Being advanced in years to old age & feeble constitution & that the use of sd. Intoxicating brandy, drank from Monday morning the 26th Inst. to the time of his death was the cause of sd. death. |
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| 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 |
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| Alexander Moore | May 22, 1889 | at Wellford, Spartanburg County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the deceased Alexander Moore came to his death from the evidence given and our belief [is] that he died of apoplexy |
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| Lillie C. McManus | February 10, 1889 | at T. M. McManus's, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say, by the Hand of God, and from causes unknown to the parents and to the jury |
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| Harry | slave | December 17, 1855 | at Jesse Gray's residence, Anderson County, SC |
do say that he came to it by manner and means to them unknown, but believe it was by the visitation of God |
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| Charlotte | slave | August 6, 1837 | in Camden, Kershaw County, SC |
do say that she came to her death by affliction[?] of the heart |
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| 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 |
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| negro child | negro child | November 1, 1837 | at Union C.H., Union County, SC |
do say upon their oaths say that the said negro child . . .died by the visitation of God in a natural way |
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| Sabia Covington | January 14, 1895 | at Chesterfield C. H., Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths, do say: That the said Sabia Covington came to her death from some natural cause or causes Unknown to them |
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| Nash Ferguson | May 23, 1883 | at Laurens court house, Laurens County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the aforesaid Nash Ferguson came to his death on the 23d day of May AD 1883 in Laurens County from general condition of the brain and blood clots on the brain |
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| Fayet Walter | January 20, 1877 | at Greenville, Greenville County, SC |
upont their oaths do say that the dec'd Fayet Walter came to his death from a disease known as congestion of the lungs caused from severe cold |
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| Sallie McDowell | August 12, 1882 | Spartanburg County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that ... Sallie McDowell died of indigestion |
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| William Ganey | February 22, 1889 | at E. H. Casons, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say That the Said William Ganey came to his death form some natural cause or causes to the jurors unknown |
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| Nancy Therrel | February 19, 1876 | at Mr. John Therrels, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths, do say: That the said Nacy Therel came to her death by some natural caus unknown to the jury |
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| 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 |
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| George | Negro Slave | April 19, 1830 | at the house of Reps Edwards, Union County, SC |
do say upon their oaths that the said George . . .died by the visitation of God in a natural way |
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| Elizabeth Leightner | July 1, 1875 | at Col. Fenlis[?] Plantation, Fairfield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say: that Eizabeth Leightner came to her death from some cause unknown to the Jurors. |
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| Lizzie Greeg | July 4, 1884 | at Capt Taliar[?] Hearin[?], Edgefield County, SC |
upon there oaths aforesaid do say that the aforesaid Lizzie Greeg Came to her death from natural Causes |
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| John Gregory | September 3, 1862 | at John Gregory, Union County, SC |
do say that the Decd Came to his death by the hand of God |
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| Sopha Bolz | April 2, 1876 | at John Wolf's Place, Fairfield County, SC |
upon their oaths, do say: that she came to her death [?] have no doubt from Diesase of the heart |
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| Mary Cook | at Henry Cook's, Fairfield County, SC |
upon their Oaths do say the deceased came to her death at her home from heart disease[.] |
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| Beller McAlester | March 11, 1876 | at house of deceased, Anderson County, SC |
do say that she came to her death by the act of God in a applect fitt [sic] |
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| Samuel Kelso | December 21, 1817 | at the plantation of Sam'l Kelso, Spartanburg County, SC |
do say upon their oaths that. . .he came to his death by an act of God being subject to something like a apoplexy for some time previous to his death |
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| Angeline Allen | February 27, 1899 | at A.L. Sims', Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths, do say: that we are convinced that the above Angeline Allen came to her death from natural causes |
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| Saul Bates | January 24, 1815 | at James Johnsons mill, Laurens County, SC |
do say on their oaths are of the opinion that the sd. Saul Betts on the 24th of Jany. 1815 Came to his death by the Act of God at James Johnsons mill in the district afore sd. |
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| 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 |
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| Emma Alexander | July 2, 1885 | Spartanburg County, SC |
upon their oaths say that from the evidence before them that the said Emma Alexander died from congestion of the lungs |
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| Miss Vida Nivius | April 4, 1923 | at Chesterfield County, South Carolina, Chesterfield County, SC |
We the Jury after viewing the Body of Miss Nivius find that the dec'd aforsaid she came to her death from natural causes |
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| Infant of J. L. Hancock | Infant of J. L. Hancock | March 3, 1899 | at J.S. Oliver's, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths, do say: the child come to its death by natural causes |
