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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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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| Garett Doby | October 11, 1880 | at William Rufus, Edgefield County, SC |
upon their oaths do Say That he came to his death from dropsey of the hart |
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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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| Bilpha Hargroove | February 1, 1847 | at Joseph Simmon's, Laurens County, SC |
do say upon there oaths, That after a thorough examination of the body we find no marks of violence or bruises on the body, we after a full examination of the testimony we are of opinion that the Deceased came to her death by appoplectic fit or some suffocation. |
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| Briant King | May 16, 1861 | at the resident of W. D. H. McHaughton, Kershaw County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that on the 16th day of May 1861 in the field at home while at work [Briant] came to his death by none other than a visition of providence |
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| Hardy McKinney | freedman | July 28, 1867 | at an old field near F. Wyne's, Anderson County, SC |
do say that said decd being diseased came to his death by the visitation of God |
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| Shelt Gainey | February 17, 1929 | [no location given], Chesterfield County, SC |
We Find du Explannation and Testimony frm Witnesses and Doctor that Deceased Shelt Gainy came to his Death from Natural Cause, Heart Trouble and Accut Indigestion from eating Fresh Pork for his supper |
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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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| 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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| 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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| 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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| Patrick Burns[?] | November 4, 1858 | at the residence of Richard Campbell, Edgefield County, SC |
said Burns came to his death by visitation of God . . . that the immediate cause leading to sudden death, was the bursting of a blood vessel in or about the heart or lungs |
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| Georgiana Williams Moore | July 26, 1882 | at TS Langston's plantation, Laurens County, SC |
upon their oathes do say that the said Georgiana William Moore came to her death by a visitation of God and died of Embolism of the heart. |
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| Jane Ashmore | child | April 3, 1880 | at Greenville, Greenville County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that. . .the said Jane Ashmore came to her death from natural causes |
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| Infant of Dissie Adams | Infant of Dissie Adams | May 5, 1912 | at W. C. Adams place, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths, do say: He came to his death from natural cause in feble condition after birth |
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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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| Kisiah Frazier | December 17, 1893 | at the plantation of T S Rainsforde, Edgefield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that Kisiah Frazier came to her death from natural causes. . .Rheumatic trouble of the heart |
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| W. L. Pegues | July 16, 1894 | at Cheraw, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the said W L Pegues came to his death from natural causes. |
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| Roster | slave | July 27, 1844 | at Fielden Clayton's, Spartanburg County, SC |
upon thear [sic] oathes [sic] that the said Roster. . .was found dead, that she had no marks of violence upon her, and died by the visitation of God |
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| Jane Laniere | August 13, 1880 | at the residence of G. B. Whiton, Anderson County, SC |
do say that the said Jane Lanier died in the woods near the public road leading from Pendleton to Williamston at the 4 mile post . . .by no foul means but by a disease of the heart |
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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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| John Wallcot | at Winnsboro, Fairfield County, SC |
do say upon their Oaths that the deceased came to his death in Winnsboro SC the 7 of Jan 1889 from heart diseas. |
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| Nathan Moore | April 1, 1870 | at Cheraw, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their Oaths do say, That the diseased was and had been for some time afflicted with a Heart disease, which we believe caused his very sudden death at the Corner of market and third streets in cheraw on Friday April the first 1870 at 5 O clk PM |
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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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| Hartwell Roper | June 17, 1869 | at the residence of Rev. J.P. Mealing, Edgefield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say That the said Hartwell Roper fell dead in the field at his plow |
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| Austin King | October 27, 1890 | at Laurens CH., Laurens County, SC |
by their oaths do say that the said Austin King came to his death "From heart disease." |
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| Milly Roler | November 2, 1819 | Kershaw County, SC |
do say upon their oaths [that] the said Milley Roler came to her Death by the act of God as far we know |
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| Sarah Martin | July 14, 1844 | at residence of Mrs. Sarah Martin, Anderson County, SC |
do say that the above named Sarah Martin came to her death by the hand of God. |
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| Richard Lewis | January 4, 1910 | at Cheraw, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say That he came to his death from natural causes |
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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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| Pompy Robinson | November 1, 1898 | at Norris Place, Edgefield County, SC |
upon their oaths, do say: that Pompy Robinson came to his death from throat trouble |
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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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| Edward Fuller | July 30, 1880 | at Spartanburg C.H., Spartanburg County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the said Edw. O Fuller ... came to his death from conjestion of the brain or other natural cause |
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| Tench Henson | June 8, 1868 | at Josepth Moor's, Greenville County, SC |
upon there oaths do say that it was the act of Providence |
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| E. P. Brown | January 1, 1879 | at Mrs. E.P. Browns, Fairfield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the Deceased came to to her death at her Residence Dec. the 31st A.D. 1878 from enlargement of the heart[.] |
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| Madison Materson | at Blythewood, Fairfield County, SC |
upon their oath do say that the above decest came to its Death by natural causes on June 20-1895[.] |
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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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| Henry Jennings | September 14, 1891 | at the residense of diceased, Edgefield County, SC |
upon the oaths of the Jury aforesaid do say that the said Henry Jennings came to his death from Heart Disease |
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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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| Borough | August 21, 1853 | on the high Road near Marengo, Laurens County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that he had no marks of violence upon him and that he died by the visitation of God & not otherwise. |
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| Mary Champion | November 10, 1870 | at Camden, Camden, S.C., Kershaw County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that [the] deceased came to her death by a visitation or the act of God |
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| infant | January 13, 1868 | at Anderson Court House, Anderson County, SC |
do say that the infant was a premature birth and born dead |
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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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| John Brown | January 28, 1902 | [no location given], Chesterfield County, SC |
[No official declaration] |
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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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| infant | September 30, 1884 | at the residence of W. A. Reed, Spartanburg County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the said infant came to its death resulting from scarlett fever or whatever the disease might have been |
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| Jim | slave | June 10, 1859 | at M, L, Bonham Esqr residence on the Pine House road, Edgefield County, SC |
upon there oaths do say that the said Jim a slave. . .came to his death by the act of Providence |
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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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| George Center | October 28, 1880 | at George W. Centers, Greenville County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the said George W Center came to his death by heart disease |
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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 |
