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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frank Milton | child | January 26, 1894 | at Sanders Loricks, Edgefield County, SC |
upon their oath do say: that said Frank Milton aforesaid came to his death from natural causes, that is to say from inflammation of the lungs |
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| negro child a slave | negro child a slave | January 27, 1835 | on the plantation of T Hooker, Union County, SC |
do say upon their oaths that the Sd child . . .died by the visitation of god in a natural way |
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| Abram Alston | near Dawkins, Fairfield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that Abram Alston manner and form aforsaid came to his death from natural causes |
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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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| Mariah Pincy | July 10, 1881 | Spartanburg County, SC |
upon their oaths aforesaid do say that said Mariah Princey ... came to her death from heart disease |
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| 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. |
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| Dick | August 13, 1818 | on the plantation of John Boyd, Laurens County, SC |
the said Dick came to his death by the Act of God do Say upon their oaths here inserted. |
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| Ida Sellers | June 4, 1896 | at W.K. Sellers' Place, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths, do say: That the said Ida Sellers came to her death from some causes or cause unknown to them |
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| Milledge Stuard | October 8, 1881 | at Mount [??] Yard, Edgefield County, SC |
upon there oths do say the said Milledge Stuard Came to his death from some unknown Cause to us but Suppose from heart Disease |
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| 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 |
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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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| negro child | negro child | January 16, 1854 | at [???], Union County, SC |
do say upon their oaths . . .that it came to its 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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| Thomas C. Reaves | May 25, 1899 | Kershaw County, SC | |||
| 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 |
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| John B. Garrison | February 21, 1894 | in Clinton, Laurens Co, Laurens County, SC |
upon their oaths do say, that the said John Garrison died from mitral Insufficiency. |
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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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| 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 |
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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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| Amanda Lester | December 13, 1884 | near Pelham, Spartanburg County, SC |
upon their oaths do say Amanda Lester came to her death from heart disease |
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| Maria Seawright | grandma | January 11, 1882 | at the farm of A. W. McDavids, Greenville County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the said Maria Seawright came to her death from a natural cause by an act of Providence |
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| 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 |
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| 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 |
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| Matt | negro man | February 9, 1832 | on the plantation of Doct. Jas Macham, Union County, SC |
do say upon there Oaths that the Said negro . . .died with the visitation of God in a natural way |
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| Mary Whitman | at R.E. Martin's, Fairfield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say, the said Mary Whitman came to her death from Heart Disease on the 13 day of June A.D. 1887 |
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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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| Peter C. Oclan | January 7, 1850 | at C. Burch's, Spartanburg County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the sd. P.C. Oclan came to his death by the act of God |
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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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| Elsie Sloan | November 17, 1889 | on the plantation of J H Sloan, Laurens County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the said Elsie Sloan came to her death by the act of God. |
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| 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 |
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| 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 |
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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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| Laban Johnson | May 15, 1889 | at Clifton, Spartanburg County, SC |
do say that the said Laban Johnson came to his death from heart troubles brought on by natural causes |
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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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| Jenny | slave | April 28, 1836 | Kershaw County, SC |
do on their oath say that they believe she died of an apoplectic fit, the visitation of God |
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| 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 |
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| 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 |
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| negro child | negro child | July 13, 1835 | at the house or on the plantation of Charles Humphries, Union County, SC |
do say upon their oaths that The said child . . .died by the visitation of God in a natural way |
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| Bettie McConnell | near Lyles Ford, Fairfield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say, "That Bettie McConnell in manner and form aforsaid, came to her death from by heart failure." |
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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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| Betsy Pilgram | July 2, 1882 | at Woodruff, Spartanburg County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the deceased ... came to her death by disease of the heart |
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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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| Monday | May 9, 1833 | at Mr. John Smiths, Laurens County, SC |
do say upon their oaths that the said Negro Slave Monday, died by the visitation of God as he had no marks of violence upon him such as would lead to suppose he came to his death otherwise than in a natural way. |
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| 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. |
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| Mary Hillian | October 30, 1896 | at R.E. River's place, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths, do say: the said May Hillian came to her death from accidental Hemmorage of the lungs |
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| B. C. Bryan | March 16, 1884 | at B C Bryan Residence, Edgefield County, SC |
upon there oaths do say. . .that the said B C Bryan Come to his death. . .from disease of the Heart |
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| Moriah Scott | infant child | September 26, 1875 | at Ness[?] Scott's, Greenville County, SC |
upon their oaths, do say that Moriah L. Scott infant child . . .came to her death from cold |
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| George | Negro Slave | April 19, 1830 | at the house of Reps Edwards, Union County, SC |
do say upon their oaths that the said George . . .died by the visitation of God in a natural way |
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| Vance Melton | January 18, 1930 | at Cheraw, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths, do say: that he came to his death from natural causes |
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| John Jones | December 16, 1817 | at John Jones's, Spartanburg County, SC |
do say upon their oaths. . .that the said John Jones did die a natural death |
