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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sallie Walker | at M.J. Steel's[?] place, Fairfield County, SC |
upon their Oaths do say tha the deceased Sallie Walker came to her death from heart diseas on the Plantation of Mrs M.J. Slide[.] |
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| Amos Lee | July 10, 1852 | at Amos Lee's, Union County, SC |
upon ther oaths do say . . .that the said Amos Lee Come to his death by the act of God |
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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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| Unknown Infant | Unknown Infant | [no location given], Chesterfield County, SC |
[No official declaration] |
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| Emma Duval | September 9, 1878 | at Greenville, Greenville County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that she . . .came to her death from natural causes |
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| Charley Martin | June 23, 1889 | at Lanfords station, Laurens County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the said Charley Martin came to his death by "Heart Failure." |
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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 |
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| B. J. Mims | January 20, 1885 | at the Residence of Capt B J Mims, Edgefield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the deceased came to his death by the visitations of Providence from heart disease |
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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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| Elisha Himbry | October 11, 1832 | at the house of William Himbry, Spartanburg County, SC |
do say upon their oaths that he was found on the tenth day of the present month about one mile from this place lying in the woods on his farm and they do believe he came to his death by the act of God |
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| May | March 20, 1832 | at the plantation of Doctor William Bratton on Wateree Creek, Fairfield County, SC |
do say upon their oaths, that according to the evidence adduced to them, they believe that on the 19th instant in a field where the said May was breaking Cotton Halks, he was taken with an appoplectic fit and expired in an instant |
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| Julia Rice | June 27, 1887 | at Clough Rice's, Spartanburg County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that in our opinion the deceased came to her death from some natural cause, probably heart disease |
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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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| Nettie Frazier | at the plantation of Mrs. Nancy Youngue, Fairfield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the deceased came to its death from the effects of Whooping cough[.] |
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| John Savage | January 27, 1852 | at John Savages, Union County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that . . .John Savage Sr was Providentially taken away by the act of God |
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| Alexander P. Kennard | February 16, 1847 | in the District, Edgefield County, SC |
do say upon their Oaths, that they do believe that he died of Cramp of the Stomach or in an Appoplectic fit |
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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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| 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 |
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| Ben Harris | July 8, 1910 | at McBee, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths, do say: that he came to his death form natural causes |
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| George | April 21, 1858 | at Dr J G Tragham's, Laurens County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the deceased came to his death by the act of God. |
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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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| Albert Watson | June 15, 1892 | at the plantation of W.B. Maffett, Edgefield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the said Albert Watson came to his death from Natural Causes |
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| L. O'Brien | August 5, 1877 | at Greenville CH, Greenville County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the said Mrs. L. B. O'Brien came to her death from a natural cuase to[?] with[?] by a disease known as paralasis of the brain |
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| 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 |
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| Lucinda Scott | September 9, 1878 | at P. Hastings' Plantation, Fairfield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the said Lucinda Scott came to her death at the house of John Scott; on P. Hastings plantation. September 8th 1878. from hemorrhages of the Lungs. |
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| John Crosley | January 11, 1838 | at of John W Sartor[?], Union County, SC |
do say upon there othes that the said John Crosley . . .died by the visitation of god in a natural way by getting choked or strangled and not otherwise |
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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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| 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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| 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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| Silvia | October 10, 1857 | at the House of J.s. W. Holliday, Horry County, SC |
upon their Oaths do say that the said Silvia a slave Came to her death by the Visitation of God |
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| Rebeca Eidson | May 29, 1861 | at the Residence of William Eidson, Edgefield County, SC |
upon there oaths do say that it is made evident to theme that the said deceased came to here death. . .from Congestion Pneumonia |
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| George Norris | November 23, 1876 | at Anderson Courthouse, Anderson County, SC |
do say that the said George Norris by act of God died (Consumption) |
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| 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 |
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| Mrs. Joe Landon | October 11, 1929 | [no location given], Chesterfield County, SC |
according to evidence that an inquest is not necessary |
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| Lewis Dial | October 20, 1870 | at Laurens C.H., Laurens County, SC |
upon their oaths do say on examining and viewing the body of Lewis Dial, this day found dead in the garden of J.M. Boyd, and from competent medical examination, we find that the said deceased came to his death by the visitation of God. |
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| Nicholas Gibson | June 26, 1884 | at the residence of Nicholas Gibson, Spartanburg County, SC |
upon their oaths do say ... that the aforesaid Nicholas Gibson came to his death ... in the manner as testified to by the examining physician, Dr. M. Bonner |
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| Molsie Knight | February 6, 1897 | at Reid Knight's, Chesterfield County, SC |
So the Jurors aforesaid do say that the aforesaid Molsie Knight in manner and form aforesaid did come to Her death in a way that is unknown to the Jury we decide that it was an act of God. |
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| Joel W. Warren | November 9, 1894 | at Joseph Mirren[?] House, Edgefield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say and belief that he Joel W. Warren came to his death by heart failure |
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| Wade Chappell | at William Steele's, Fairfield County, SC |
upon their Oaths do say that the deceased Wade, Chappell, came to his death from an affection of the heart[.] |
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| James Lee | April 7, 1834 | at Amos Lee's, Union County, SC |
do say upon there oaths that the sd James Lee . . .on the plantation of William Hay[?] . . .Dyed By the Visitation of god in a natural way |
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| Infant of G. R. C. Baskins | Infant of G. R. C. Baskins | February 18, 1905 | at E. W. Gulledge's place, Chesterfield County, SC |
their oath say that the said William H. Baskin infant Died . . . from Natural Causes. |
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| 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 |
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| Rachael Watts | July 29, 1889 | at W.B. Fullers place near Cross Hill, Laurens County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that near the Residence of W. B. Fuller in above state and county on the 29th July 1889 the said Rachael Watts came to her death by "Visitation of God." |
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| Annie Jefferson | January 19, 1892 | at Bary Rosie, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths, do say: that the Said Anna Jefferson came to her death form some cause or causes to the Jury unknown |
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| J. D. Wells | December 14, 1890 | at Edgefield C.H., Edgefield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the deceased J D Wells came to his death from Heart disease |
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| Alexander Black | November 14, 1863 | at the house of A. W. Black, Greenville County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the said decd came to his death . . . by the act of God unknown to them |
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| 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 |
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| James Blackie | August 17, 1836 | in the house of Ezekiel Hoy, Fairfield County, SC |
do say upon their oaths that they believe James Blackie died on the 16th of August & and that his death was caused by a 'severe acute disease aggravated & hurried to a fatal termination by previous organic affection of all the viscera of the systems |
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| Daniel W. Willis | September 27, 1887 | at the residence of the deceased Daniel Willis, Spartanburg County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the [said] Daniel Willis came to his death of heart disease |
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| John Brown | January 28, 1902 | [no location given], Chesterfield County, SC |
[No official declaration] |
