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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
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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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| 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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| D. L. Campbell | October 21, 1894 | at the residence of D. L. Campbell, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that D L Campbell deceased come to his death from hart trouble |
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| Rachel Dullivan | January 30, 1890 | at Rachel Dullivan Residence, Laurens County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the said Rachel Dullivan came to her death from natural cause (Heart disease). |
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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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| Clara | slave | February 18, 1861 | at Thos Bayds[?], Union County, SC |
uppon there oaths do say. . . the decd came to her death by hand of the Almity |
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| James Mitchell | February 18, 1879 | at L D Laudrums, Edgefield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the said Jas Mitchell came to his death by means unknown |
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| Nancy Johnson | June 11, 1906 | at Whitfield Johnson, Chesterfield County, SC |
AND so the said Jurors aforesaid, upon their oaths aforesaid, do say that the aforesaid Nancy Johnson came to her death from natural causes |
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| 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 |
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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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| Thomas Prince | July 31, 1848 | at the Joal of Said District, Edgefield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the said Thomas Prince came to his death by the act of God |
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| Spencer Knott | August 9, 1890 | at Spencer Knotts', Chesterfield County, SC |
Jurors aforesaid that said that Spencer Knotts came to his death from some natcherel case or cosses to the jury owns known |
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| Martha Stevenson | at Daniel Stevenson's, Fairfield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say, that Martha Stevenson came to her death from natural causes probly influenza[.] |
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| 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[.] |
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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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| 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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| William Autry | March 16, 1896 | at E. W. Gulledge's place, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths, do say: that the said Wm Autry came to his death from natural causes |
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| Abby | February 28, 1840 | at Thomas Carters, Laurens County, SC |
do Say upon their oaths that the said negro woman Abby, on the 28th Inst 1840 at Thomas Carters in the District afforesaid was found dead and that She dyed by the visitation of god in a natural way & not otherwise. |
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| Mary Jane Johnson | child | September 25, 1856 | at Sarah [?] house, Union County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that they believe . . .that it Came to its by the visitation of God |
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| George Robinson | January 12, 1892 | at the plantation of E. B. Davis, Edgefield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say from Heart failure |
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| John Campbell | September 26, 1883 | at Chesterfield C. H., Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say That the said John Campbell came to his death by some natural caus or causes unknown to the jurors |
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| Vance Melton | January 18, 1930 | at Cheraw, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths, do say: that he came to his death from natural causes |
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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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| 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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| Thomas J. Fuller | October 5, 1894 | at T.J. Fuller's, Laurens County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the said T.J. Fuller came to his death "From Natural Causes." |
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| Emanuel Thomas | at Winnsboro, Fairfield County, SC |
upon their Oaths do say that the deceased came to his death from natural causes[.] |
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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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| Polly Evins | August 18, 1886 | at Joe Waters, Spartanburg County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the deceased came to her death from natural causes |
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| Jim | slave | June 10, 1859 | at M, L, Bonham Esqr residence on the Pine House road, Edgefield County, SC |
upon there oaths do say that the said Jim a slave. . .came to his death by the act of Providence |
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| Janice Parsons | October 8, 1899 | [no location given], Chesterfield County, SC |
[No official declaration] |
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| Mary Elizabeth Rallings | February 6, 1900 | at Sanford Rallings', Chesterfield County, SC |
upon there oaths do say That Mary Elizabeth Rallings came to her death by mischance or natural causes |
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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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| 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 |
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| Pulaskey | slave, boy | March 30, 1848 | at the plantation of J. F> Hill, Union County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that we believe the boy died of disease (Influenza) from the history of the Case |
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| infant | infant | January 22, 1894 | at Oak Gilchrist House, Edgefield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say, that the said Infant Came to its death from a cause unknown |
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| 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 |
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| 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 |
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| John McDonald | April 15, 1839 | at Daniel McDonalds, Kershaw County, SC |
do say upon their oaths that they believe the said John McDonald ... being a youth in the district aforesaid there & then died of the visitation of God |
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| Sarah Bressey | September 14, 1857 | at [?] Village, Greenville County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that . . . she came to her death . . . by a natural death. |
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| Lee Roy Almond | November 18, 1893 | at R. J. Almond's, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the aforesaid Lee Roy Almond came to his death from natural causes |
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| 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. |
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| D. Searey | November 17, 1882 | near Martinsville, Spartanburg County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that ... the said D. Seary died from Epileptic fit or other causes to which mortal man is heir |
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| Priscilla Clark | March 28, 1837 | at the house of Jesse Clark, Union County, SC |
do say upon their oaths that the said Priscilla Clark . . . died by the visitation of God |
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| Isaac Jones | July 1, 1881 | at Ridge Spring, Edgefield County, SC |
upon there oaths do say that the deceast came to his death from Nattural Causese the visitation of Providence |
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| Charlotte Johnson | July 9, 1906 | on the plantation of George Johnson, Chesterfield County, SC |
[No official declaration] |
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| 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 |
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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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| white man | white man | October 21, 1849 | in the woods near Holsonbakers[?] old fields, Edgefield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say the aforesaid Stranger came to his death from the act of God |
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| Martha McFarlan | September 20, 1890 | at Robert Mcfarlan, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon thire oaths do say that the Said Martha McFarling came to her death from natural causes to the Jury unknown |
