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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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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| Unknown Infant | Unknown Infant | March 27, 1895 | at Daniel McGarland's place, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths, do say: The said infant child was the Child of Caroline Laurean but from being buried such a length of time was in such a state of decomposition, it was impossible from autopsy to find out cause of death, Therefore we find that it came to its death from some cause unknown to it there |
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| 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. |
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| 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 |
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| Luvenia Elmore | March 15, 1883 | at J A Fergusons place, Laurens County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the cause of her death on the 14th day of March AD. 1883 on J A Fergusons place in Laurens County from Congestion. |
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| Allen Melton | January 6, 1893 | at the residence of Mr. James Cottege, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths do says that it is their belief that Allen Melton came to his death from natural causes - in all probability - form failure of the heart to perform its proper functions |
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| Humphrey Wilson | August 26, 1882 | at the residence of Humphrey Wilsons, Greenville County, SC |
upon their oaths do say . . . he died from a visitation of the Almighty God |
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| Rhoda | female slave | July 4, 1857 | at Dorn's[?] Mill, Edgefield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say, they believe the said slave Rhoda came to her death by some invisible and unknown cause or causes; perhaps a disease of the heart |
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| 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 |
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| 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. |
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| Charley Gainey | November 18, 1903 | at T.C. Williams', Chesterfield County, SC |
the said Charley Gainey diseased came to his death from heart failure |
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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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| Henry Rush | June 22, 1875 | Spartanburg County, SC |
return our verdict that the deceased, Henry Rush, died from an attack of epilepsy |
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| James Leppard | February 13, 1893 | at F. M. Leppards, Edgefield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say. . .the deceased came to his death by Rheumation of the heart |
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| Ephram Ashford | at [?], Fairfield County, SC |
upon their Oaths do say that the deceased came to his death at his home from heart failure |
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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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| Sharp | infant male child | June 5, 1861 | at Wm Bovels[?], Union County, SC |
uppon there oaths do say that . . .we conclud that Decsd Came to its Death by the hand of the Almighty |
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| 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? |
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| 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 |
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| Henry Leard Bancum | November 29, 1894 | at W. H. Funderburk's, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths, do say That it was an act of providence from natural causes |
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| Isaac | slave | March 4, 1841 | at Col. Wm. J. Taylor's plantation, Kershaw County, SC |
on their oaths due say that it was according to their belief and the evidence before them that Isaac came to his Death by the visitation of God |
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| George Hatcher | freedman | June 19, 1867 | at B. W. Hatchers Mill on Shaws creek, Edgefield County, SC |
upon there oath do say that George came to his death by some disease unknown to the Jurors |
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| Gilbert Crawford | July 22, 1921 | at Pageland, Chesterfield County, SC |
Gilbert Crawford came to his death form natural causes |
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| 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 |
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| Isaac F. Swinney | March 12, 1875 | at Chesterfield C. H., Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths, do say: the under verdict that the deceased Isaac F Swinney came to his death from some natural cause |
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| Dick | slave | March 19, 1837 | at the house of Edward Gregory, Union County, SC |
do say that the said Dick . . .died by the visitation of God in a natural way |
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| infant | March 16, 1883 | at Martha J. Adkins, Spartanburg County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that said infant child came to his death by the hands of Providence |
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| Reubin Weaver | December 28, 1895 | at Elijah Boatwrights Plantation, Edgefield County, SC |
upon their oaths, do say, that Reubin Weaver aforesaid came to his death from heart failure |
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| Jane Owens | at Ms. Helen Smith's, Fairfield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say She died from a paroxism of asthma |
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| 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, |
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| infant | November 27, 1870 | at William Stuart's residence, Anderson County, SC |
do say that. . .said child was dead born |
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| 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. |
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| Barbra Franklin | June 6, 1898 | near Swift Creek Colored Baptist Church, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the said barbra Franklin of the said county and said state on the Evening of the fifth day of June 1898 Did come to her death from natural causes |
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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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| Nathaniel Miller | September 2, 1825 | Spartanburg County, SC |
do say upon their oaths aforesaid that he came to his death by an act of God |
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| Silvy Nix | January 1, 1891 | Edgefield County, SC |
upon their oaths do Say that She came to her death by natural causes |
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| William L. Collins | January 9, 1887 | at Chesterfield County, Chesterfield County, SC |
[No official declaration] |
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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 C. P. Rushing | Infant of C. P. Rushing | December 19, 1894 | at C. P. Rushing's Place, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths, do say: That the said child came to its death from some natural cause or causes |
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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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| 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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| William Cooper | September 22, 1882 | at Greenville, Greenville County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that . . .Wm T. Cooper came to his death from heart disease |
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| Edward | slave, boy | October 22, 1857 | at the residence of Wm Miller, Edgefield County, SC |
came to his death by the act of Providence |
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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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| James Robinson | May 20, 1883 | n.a., Anderson County, SC |
came to his death by the act of God in the form of Apoplexy |
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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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| Nelly Grazier | July 8, 1888 | at Enora, Spartanburg County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that thy are the believe that the said Nellie Grazier came to her death by the hand of providence |
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| J. H. Vandike | May 20, 1877 | at Crawfordville, Spartanburg County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that they are satisfied that the aforesaid Col. J.H. Vandike came to his death from apoplexy while riding along the road |
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| infant | infant | May 5, 1893 | at F. L. Foys, Edgefield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say we find that deceased Infant. . .came to its death from natural causes |
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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. |
