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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manuel Coleman | at Manuel Coleman's, Fairfield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say came to his death by congestion of the Stomach from drinking water. |
|||
| Hannah | negro woman | April 15, 1860 | at Smith Cooks, Union County, SC | ||
| Loucinda Alexander | December 7, 1883 | at the house of Camel Alexander, Greenville County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the deceased came to her death by the acts of Providence unknown to us |
||
| Adeline Terry | February 6, 1883 | at Henry Grant's, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon there oaths do Say That the said Adline Terry came to her death from som caus or causes unknown to the jurors |
||
| Robert Inglish | April 25, 1891 | at Cheraw, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths, do say: that the Said Robert Inglish came to his death form hart disease |
||
| Daniel Brown | October 8, 1881 | at the plantation of Willis Watkins, Anderson County, SC |
do say that the said Daniel Brown died. . . in the cotton field on the plantation of Willis Watkins by no act of violence or foul means but by heart disease. |
||
| Charmes | October 7, 1865 | at Levison Fowlers, Laurens County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the Freedman Charmes came to his death by the act of God |
||
| Earnest Leland Smith Jr. | December 12, 1945 | at Chesterfield, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that Earnest Leland Smith, Jr. received in Chesterfield County a mortal wound by causes unknown |
||
| Tephius[?] Cornwall | January 14, 1845 | on one of the Public Streets of the Town of Hamburg, Edgefield County, SC |
Upon their oaths do say, that the decd Tephius[?] Cornwell came to his death as they believe by the visitation of God |
||
| Leanora M. Cannon | February 25, 1879 | Spartanburg County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that ... the said Leonora M. Cannon died from the rupture of a blood vessel which caused a rush of blood into the lungs and instant death ensued |
||
| James Robertson | September 13, 1885 | at Calvin Brewton's, Spartanburg County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the aforesaid James Robertson came to his death by disease of the heart |
||
| Mary Jane Rivers | September 12, 1900 | [no location given], Chesterfield County, SC |
I do not deem it necessary to hold an inquest but from such evidence find that the said Mrs Jane Rivers came to her death from none other than natural causes. |
||
| Bettie Willis | March 24, 1892 | at the Croker place the home of Miss Bettie Willis, Edgefield County, SC |
upon their oaths do Say that the Said Miss Bettie Willis Came to her death. . .by the Act of God. From Heart Failure or disease accompied with Dropsie |
||
| John M. Bonds | December 16, 1850 | at Isom R. Bond's, Anderson County, SC |
do say having understood that the said John M. Bonds died very suddenly on the mornign of the 15th of this Instant while going as a boat hand on Savannah River. . . .we the jury report that we fully concur in the opinion of the said doctors as reported by them to the coroner...that is to say that John M. Bonds came to his death by a diseased action in the Larynx producing or giving rise to suffocation. |
||
| Nancy Davis | April 22, 1883 | at plantaion of Seaborn Parks, Laurens County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that Nancy Davis the deceased came to her death from disease of the Heart. |
||
| Ranse Lowry | July 21, 1888 | at Chesterfield County, South Carolina, Chesterfield County, SC |
The finding of the Jury is that the deceased came to his death by mischance |
||
| W. G. Rivers | June 15, 1888 | at F. W. Rivers, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths, do say: That the said W J Rivers came to his death by som natural caus or causes to the jury unknown |
||
| Loverberry B. Musgrove | October 9, 1866 | at the residence of Ms. James, Widow, near the Court House, Union County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the said Loveberry B. Musgrove, at the residence of Mrs. James, Widow, . . .did die by visitation of Almight God |
||
| Micjah Ward | February 9, 1849 | at the house of M. Ward, Kershaw County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that he came to his death by the visitation of God |
||
| infant child. Male. | infant child. Male. | January 25, 1874 | at Solomon Scott's, Greenville County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that said child was born on the twenty second inst and was dead |
|
| 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 |
||
| Anna Braboy | January 13, 1894 | at Cheraw, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the said Anna Braboy came to her death from natural causes |
||
| Kizziah[?] | slave, servant | March 11, 1860 | at the residence of Mr M Lanham, Edgefield County, SC |
upon there oaths do say that the said Kisziah came to her death. . .from the Visitation of God in a natural way |
|
| Ephram Ashford | at [?], Fairfield County, SC |
upon their Oaths do say that the deceased came to his death at his home from heart failure |
|||
| Nancy Montjoy | October 13, 1889 | Spartanburg County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that she the said Nancy Montjoy came to her death from natural causes, probably disease of the heart |
||
| Elizabeth Walker | March 1, 1879 | at P. A. McDavid, Greenville County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that Elizabeth Walker came to her death by misfortune or accident |
||
| G. D. Gullege | June 14, 1909 | near clus Rallings, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths, do say: that the said G. D. Gullege came to his death from natural causes |
||
| infant male child | infant male child | January 3, 1894 | in Edgefield County, Edgefield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say, that. . .the said infant came to his death, by heart failure produced from congestion of the lungs |
|
| infant | November 27, 1870 | at William Stuart's residence, Anderson County, SC |
do say that. . .said child was dead born |
||
| Jerry | July 11, 1811 | at the plantation of James Glen, Laurens County, SC |
do say upon their oathes, that they are of opinion that the said Negro boy died a Natural Death |
||
| Gilbert Crawford | July 22, 1921 | at Pageland, Chesterfield County, SC |
Gilbert Crawford came to his death form natural causes |
||
| Jane Wisher | September 30, 1848 | at the residence of Mrs. Jane Wisher, Union County, SC |
upon their oaths do say from the widow of Elisabeth Wisher that the deceased was an oald person and had for some years past been afflicted with what had been cauled palpitation of the heart and [?] and was complaining . . .came to her death by a visitation of god |
||
| Samuel Flagg | February 18, 1833 | near Wilson's old field, Spartanburg County, SC |
after examining the body of the sd. dec'd & finding no marks fo violence committed beleave [sic] that he was brought to his death by the visitation of God |
||
| Amilia Ruffin | August 7, 1880 | at S.W. Ruffs, Fairfield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the aforsaid Amilia Ruffin came to her death July the 23d 1880; from natural causes to the jurors unknow, |
||
| 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 |
||
| Infant of Pearl Oliver | Infant of Pearl Oliver | December 26, 1894 | at D. A. Redfearn's Place, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths, do say: that the said Infant child came to its death from some natural cause unknown to them |
|
| Jane Owens | at Ms. Helen Smith's, Fairfield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say She died from a paroxism of asthma |
|||
| James Harmon | March 4, 1841 | near[?] Nichara[?] Gordon's, Union County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that they cannot find no marks of Violence upon him and he died by the visitation of god in a natural way and not otherwise |
||
| James Goodson | September 28, 1807 | Kershaw County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the said James Goodson . . .was found dead, that he had no such marks of violence on his body as would have occasioned his death & died by the visitation of God & not otherwise |
||
| Kissey Blakeny | October 22, 1884 | at Kessey Blakenys, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the Deceased came to her death by a natural causs of heart disease |
||
| John Seawright | October 22, 1881 | on the public road leading from Craytonville to Anderson Court House, Anderson County, SC |
do say the said came to dis death from disease of the heart. . .the deceased came to his death by some providence of God. |
||
| Clarisa Epps | July 20, 1868 | at Laurens C.H., Laurens County, SC |
upon their oaths do Say that the afore said Claricy Epps came to her death by the visitation of God. |
||
| William L. Collins | January 9, 1887 | at Chesterfield County, Chesterfield County, SC |
[No official declaration] |
||
| Dinah | Woman Slave | May 22, 1849 | at Allen Griffith, Edgefield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say, that the said Dinah came to her death by miscarriage and inflamation of the womb at the plantation of Master Michael Long |
|
| Isaac Greer | December 29, 1879 | at Vernonville, Spartanburg County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that he came to his death by cause or causes unknown to them but in their opinion it was an act of God |
||
| Charles Young | July 16, 1885 | at Anderson's Mills, Spartanburg County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that Charles Young came to his death from Apoplexy near Anderson's Mills |
||
| Robert Jordan | December 3, 1900 | at Mount Croghan, Chesterfield County, SC |
from the verdict of witness I do note deem it necsary to hold an inquest but from such witnesses find that the Sed Robrt Jordan came to his ath from natural causes Decmbr 3 1900 |
||
| Polly Vines | April 20, 1892 | at the house of Ben. Holt, Edgefield County, SC |
we find that the decesed Came to her death. . .from the [?] of age and Probealy as Stated by the Dr from Heart Failure |
||
| Frances Pagett | April 15, 1853 | at William Pagett's, Anderson County, SC |
do say that the deceased came to her death by the act of God? |
