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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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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| Samuel Kelso | December 21, 1817 | at the plantation of Sam'l Kelso, Spartanburg County, SC |
do say upon their oaths that. . .he came to his death by an act of God being subject to something like a apoplexy for some time previous to his death |
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| Malsey A. Blakeny | August 12, 1894 | at the house of W. E. Courtney, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say "that she came to her death by an act of Providence" |
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| William Blanton | January 14, 1884 | at the house of Langdon Blanton, Spartanburg County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that William Blanton came to his death by heart disease |
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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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| Eber B. Stevens | March 5, 1873 | at Pendleton, Anderson County, SC |
do say . . . by a visitation of God |
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| Hillary Suber | July 9, 1883 | at Mrs N.B. Copelands plantation, Laurens County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the said Hillary Suber came to his death on the plantation of Mrs NB Copeland from Heart Disease |
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| Willis Arther Jenkins | February 4, 1888 | at J. C. Jenkins, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths, do say: That the Said Willis Arther Jenkins came to his death by some natural cause or causes unknown to the jurors and that he dide on the 4 day of Feb 1888 |
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| Edward Bownes | April 30, 1874 | at Cheraw, S. C., Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths, do say: That the Said Edward Bownes came to his death by sum caus or causes to them unknown at His Residence in Cheraw in the 24 day of April A.D. 1874 |
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| Patrick Keenan | June 18, 1869 | at Union Court House, Union County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the said P. H. Keenan came to his death by the hand of Providence |
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| Hester Mobley | June 27, 1868 | at David Gladney's, Fairfield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say . . . that from the testimony the Said Hester Mobley came to her death by the desease, She was Suffering from, The disease of the Heart. |
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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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| Dudley Roundtree | August 10, 1856 | at the dwelling house of the late Dudley Roundtree, Edgefield County, SC |
the said Dudley Roundtree came to his death. . .that the said death was by the visitation of God, and so the jury sworn and [?] as aforesaid upon their oaths declare |
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| Scott Infant Child | Scott Infant Child | July 30, 1891 | at W. A. Buchanan's Place, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths, do say: that the said Infant child came to its death form natural cause or causes to this Jury unknown |
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| Mary Cook | at Henry Cook's, Fairfield County, SC |
upon their Oaths do say the deceased came to her death at her home from heart disease[.] |
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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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| Rose Brodie | June 5, 1897 | on MacFarland plantation, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the said Rose Brodie came to her death by from natural causes |
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| James Boiter | May 20, 1887 | near Wakefield Bridge, Spartanburg County, SC |
upon there oaths do say ... that the aforesaid James Boiter came to his death from heart disease |
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| Amanda Glover | August 30, 1892 | at Mr Pofse[?] Lotts Plantation, Edgefield County, SC |
upon their oaths do Say That Amanda Glover came to her death from hart Failure |
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| Anna G. Cason | June 10, 1883 | at Williamston, Anderson County, SC |
do say that the death of said Anna Cason (after hearing the testimony) was caused by disease of the heart. |
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| Saul Bates | January 24, 1815 | at James Johnsons mill, Laurens County, SC |
do say on their oaths are of the opinion that the sd. Saul Betts on the 24th of Jany. 1815 Came to his death by the Act of God at James Johnsons mill in the district afore sd. |
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| Prince Crawford | November 29, 1916 | at Pageland, Chesterfield County, SC |
Prince Crawford came to his death from natural causes |
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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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| Sarilla Coleman | August 5, 1880 | at the residence of Henry Jeffares, Fairfield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that in their opinion Savilla Coleman came to her death from apoplexy or congestion of the brain. |
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| John McDaniel | May 31, 1839 | at McCaskill's graveyard, Kershaw County, SC |
upon their oaths do say we found upon examination of the body of John McDaniel no cause nor have heard any testimony to lead us to believe that he cam eto his death otherwise than by 'a visitiation of God' |
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| H. F. Nivens | January 1, 1893 | at John Parker, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths, do say: That the Said H.F. Nivens came to his death form some cause or causes to this Jury unknown |
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| Lizza | colered woman | October 7, 1866 | at the house of Thomas S. Miller, Edgefield County, SC |
upon there oaths do say that the deceased died from a desease of the Heart |
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| Harry | slave | July 7, 1855 | at Pendleton village, Anderson County, SC |
do say that we believe he came to his death by the visitation of God. |
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| Lucy E. Louremore | January 27, 1873 | in Horry County, Horry County, SC |
upon their oaths do Say that She Came to her death by natural Insident |
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| infant | December 24, 1882 | at the residence of Miss Mary Bridges, Spartanburg County, SC | |||
| Sebron Miller | June 30, 1903 | at Jefferson, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon there oaths do say that the said Sebron Miller came to his deth by natural causes |
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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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| Mid[?] Griffin | February 2, 1895 | at the Govelace[?] Place, Edgefield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the Aforesaid Mid Griffin came to his death by Heart failure |
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| Harry McBee | May 31, 1876 | at Alexander McBee's, Greenville County, SC |
upon their oaths, do say that Harry McBee came to his . . . in the woods near the Premasis of Mr Alexander McBee . . . by the visitation of God |
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| Jesse Woods | September 3, 1870 | at Lewis Dial, Laurens County, SC |
we do say he came to his Death by Dropsey the act of God |
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| 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 |
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| Tom | negro boy | February 5, 1853 | at the late residence of Col Harling Quarles[?] deceased, Edgefield County, SC |
upon their Oaths do say the said negro boy . . .died in some natural way unknown |
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| Edmund Chambers | November 18, 1819 | at the house of Edmund Chambers, Spartanburg County, SC |
do say upon their oaths that the aforesaid Edmund Chambers. . .died by the visitation of God |
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| George Myers | October 21, 1894 | at Hornsboro, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths, do say: That the deceased Geo Myers came to his death from Heart failure |
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| Harriet Hill | May 27, 1884 | Spartanburg County, SC |
upon their oaths aforesaid do say that the aforesaid Harriet Hill ... came to her death the hand of God |
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| Mary Gillam | January 1, 1891 | at Mrs Francis Wrights Plantation, Edgefield County, SC |
upon their oaths do Say that the said Mary Gillam came to her death from Rhumatism from the Heart |
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| James Coleman | September 16, 1873 | at or near Mrs. Fantt's residence and one and 1/2 miles south east of Anderson, Anderson County, SC |
do say that the deceased came to his death by the act of God. |
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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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| 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 |
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| Jackson Cartlidge | October 21, 1874 | at or near the Brewers gold mine, near the waters of Big Lynches Creek, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths do Say, That it appears that the deceased Jackson Cartlidge came to his death by mischance or accident, or visitation of God. |
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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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| Doreas Mobley | May 18, 1870 | at the house of Mrs. Doreas Mobley, Fairfield County, SC |
do say upon their oaths that the said Dorene Mobley on the 18th day of May in the year One thousand Eigth Hundred and Seventy at her house in the county aforesaid, was found dead, that she had no marks of violence upon her, and died by the visitation of God in a natural way, and not otherwise. |
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| Jacob Belue | July 31, 1882 | at Jacob Belues, Greenville County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the said Jacob Belue came to his death from congestion of the lungs |
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| Doublin | male slave, boy | April 5, 1857 | at the Residence of Mrs Delila Philips, Edgefield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say. . .that the deceased Doublin in manner and form aforesaid came to his death by a Providential occurrence under the influence of an apoplectic fit. |
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| Infant of Andrew and Helen Barrett | Infant of Andrew and Helen Barrett | February 19, 1897 | at Andrew Barretts coloud in Chesterfield Co., Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say, the deceased came to its death by means unknown to the Jury. |
