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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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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| Thomas Wynn | October 31, 1868 | at William Bousar's, Greenville County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the dec'd died a natural death in his bed |
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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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| infant Boy | infant Boy | October 29, 1894 | at [?] Coleman, Edgefield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the said infant didid from natural cause or by the hand 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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| 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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| 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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| Mary Knopp | Fairfield County, SC |
do state that said Mrs Mary Knopp came to her death by "heart failure." |
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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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| Elias Smith | August 24, 1869 | in the county of Anderson, Anderson County, SC |
do say that while from the evidence before the jury there was serious grounds for suspicion that the said Elias Smith had come to his death by some in-proper means, the evidence of the dissecting physician relieves the jury of the disagreeable necessity of prosecuting the investigation further, and so the jurors aforesaid, upon their oaths do say that the aforesaid Elias Smith came to his death by apopsy of the chest and diseased liver |
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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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| 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. |
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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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| Learma Butler | November 7, 1890 | at W.H. Folks plantation, Edgefield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that she came to her death from rheumatism of the Heart ... by natural causes |
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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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| 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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| Sallie McDowell | August 12, 1882 | Spartanburg County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that ... Sallie McDowell died of indigestion |
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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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| Unknown Infant | Unknown Infant | July 1, 1925 | at Cheraw, Chesterfield County, SC |
My opinion is that its death was from natural cause and has been dead for about four days |
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| Janice Parsons | October 8, 1899 | [no location given], Chesterfield County, SC |
[No official declaration] |
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| 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. |
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| Chaney | negro woman | December 11, 1855 | at the dwelling house of Mrs Randall in the Town of Hamburg, Edgefield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say, that Chaney, the woman now lying dead before them came to her death by the Visitation of God |
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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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| Martha Morris | January 9, 1881 | at the residence of Warren Morris, Anderson County, SC |
do say that the deceased came to her death from disease of the lungs . . . at the residence of Warren Morris. |
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| 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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| Sallie Busch | August 21, 1892 | at Lewis Beans plantation, Edgefield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say That she came to her death from heart failure |
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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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| 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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| 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. |
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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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| Israel | slave | November 3, 1845 | on the plantation of David Gentry, Anderson County, SC |
do say that the said Israel came to his death by mischance, and not from any injury inflicted by the hand of another, but by the act of God. |
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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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| Rose Watts | December 8, 1891 | at Mountville, Laurens County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that Rose Watts came to her death by misfortune or the act of God. |
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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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| William Anderson | April 14, 1864 | at the plantation of T.[?] S Boles, Edgefield County, SC |
upon there oaths do say that said William Anderson came to his death by some sevear attack of disease. . .by Mischance or Visitation of God |
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| Lawrence Lenhardt | July 5, 1882 | at Greenville CH, Greenville County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that. . . came to his death from strangulation of the hernia[?] of long duration |
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| William Smith | infant | January 20, 1869 | at Stephen C. Smith residence, Greenville County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that he came to his death by some means or disease to the jurors unknown |
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| 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 |
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| Bluford Abney | November 14, 1894 | at M.A. Colemans plantation, Edgefield County, SC |
the said Bluford Abney came to his death by natural causes or colic |
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| infant | November 18, 1869 | at Daniel Oglesby's near Thickety Creek, Limestone[?] Township, Spartanburg County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the said child came to its death by disease |
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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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| Blair Massey | Alias: Isaac Funderburk | May 16, 1896 | at Phillip Arrant, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths, do say that the deceased came to his death by natural causes |
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| Sindy Simmons | at Winnsboro, Fairfield County, SC |
upon their Oaths do say that the deceased came to her death at her Brother, Ben Davis in Fairfield County SC the 12 day of Sept 1898 from natural causes[.] |
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| Elizabeth Mitchel | October 12, 1845 | at the dwelling house of David Mitchel, Union County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that . . .the deceased went to bed in the house of David Mitchel . . .in good health, and was found a corps on the morning of the twelfth, and do believe that She came to her death by a visitation of god |
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| Fanny Payton | colored woman, free from birth | June 20, 1870 | at residence of Harry Gallard[?], Anderson County, SC |
do say that the deceased came to her death in her bed in the room she usually slept and from disease of the heart |
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| E. A. Teal | September 1, 1883 | near and on the north side of the Public Road leading from Chesterfield C. H. to Abrahams Creek and the middle prong of said Creek, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the said E.A. Teal, came to her death from natural causes there neing no marks of violence upon her body |
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| Laura Jones | February 27, 1861 | at Esther E. Jones, Laurens County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that Laura E. Jones came to her death By the providence of God at O. H T. Jones home in Laurens District |
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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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| infant child | infant child | September 9, 1891 | at Wards, Edgefield County, SC |
upon their oaths, do say that the said infant male Child came to it death by premature birth |
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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 |
