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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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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| 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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| 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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| Samuel Ward | July 19, 1859 | at Church Cross Roads, Anderson County, SC |
do say that he came to his death by the visitation of providence him being an old man between 75 & 80 years of age. |
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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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| 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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| James Johnson | October 13, 1852 | at James Johnson's farm, Union County, SC |
he came to his death by some caus unknown to us |
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| Mary Jane Johnson | child | September 25, 1856 | at Sarah [?] house, Union County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that they believe . . .that it Came to its by the visitation of God |
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| Benjamin Wood | May 8, 1829 | at the house of Benjamin Wood, Spartanburg County, SC |
do say upon their oaths that he the said Benjamin Wood came to his death by visition of God |
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| Caroline Timons | January 10, 1901 | at Mount Croghan, Chesterfield County, SC |
I have this day held a preliminary examination ovr the dad body of Caroline Timons and from the evidence of witness I do not deam It necary to hold an inqest but form such witness find that the Sed Caroline Timons came to her dath from none other than natural Causes this The 10 day of January 1901 |
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| Patsy Johnston | at Bell plantation, Fairfield County, SC |
upon their oath do say that the aforesaid Patsy Johnston came to her death from scrofula. |
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| Unknown Infant | Unknown Infant | April 26, 1888 | at Margret Bouer, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths, do say: That the said Infant Child came to her death by being accidently Smothered and that it dide on the 26th day of A D 1888 |
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| Hardy | January 17, 1848 | at the house of I.B. McCall, Fairfield County, SC |
upon their oath, do say that the said negro man came to his death by a dispensation of Providence |
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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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| Polly Evins | August 18, 1886 | at Joe Waters, Spartanburg County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the deceased came to her death from natural causes |
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| Rachel Dullivan | January 30, 1890 | at Rachel Dullivan Residence, Laurens County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the said Rachel Dullivan came to her death from natural cause (Heart disease). |
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| John Williams | February 9, 1879 | at the house of Newton Perry [?] on the plantation of Thomas Cox, Anderson County, SC |
do say, that deceased [John Williams] came to his death by dropsical affiction. |
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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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| 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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| Joseph Prince | April 13, 1842 | Union County, SC |
came to his death by the visitation of God |
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| R. H. Crawford | January 26, 1894 | at Elisha Boans, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths, do say: That the deceased R.H. Crawford came to his death from some natural cause or causes unknown to me |
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| S. D. Lawton | July 19, 1911 | at Chesterfield County, South Carolina, Chesterfield County, SC |
S. D. Lawton suddenly, without any bad natural causes, as far as deponent knows or believes, dropped dead |
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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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| L. M. Stroud | August 18, 1909 | at Tom Strouds, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say: that the said Mrs. P. M. Stroud came to her death from natural causes |
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| Martha Stevenson | at Daniel Stevenson's, Fairfield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say, that Martha Stevenson came to her death from natural causes probly influenza[.] |
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| Unknown Infant | Unknown Infant | June 4, 1868 | at FW Gaylords, Laurens County, SC |
upon their oaths do say, that the said child was still born. . . |
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| Charles Jones | February 11, 1879 | at R.J. Gladney's, Fairfield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the aforesaid Charles Jones came to his death by disease unknown to the Jury[.] |
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| Peyton Bird | colored | September 29, 1869 | at Edgefield CH, Edgefield County, SC |
do say as follows: That we the Jurors find that the deceased Peyton Bird came to his death by visitation of God from rupture of a blood vessel called Aorta |
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| Clara | slave | February 18, 1861 | at Thos Bayds[?], Union County, SC |
uppon there oaths do say. . . the decd came to her death by hand of the Almity |
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| Abby | February 28, 1840 | at Thomas Carters, Laurens County, SC |
do Say upon their oaths that the said negro woman Abby, on the 28th Inst 1840 at Thomas Carters in the District afforesaid was found dead and that She dyed by the visitation of god in a natural way & not otherwise. |
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| Joseph Smith | freeman | July 25, 1866 | at Benjamin Vaughn's, Greenville County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that he came to his death . . .by some means unknown to the jurors |
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| J. B. Whittle | November 28, 1894 | at Mrs Whittles, Edgefield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say, that the said J.B. Whittle came to his death from natural cause |
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| Peggy | slave | March 28, 1841 | at Mr. Adamson's plantation, Kershaw County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that we find upon examination that [the] negro woman called Peggy Adamson the property of Mrs. Adamson ... came to her death by the visitation of the Divine providence |
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| Thomas Prince | July 31, 1848 | at the Joal of Said District, Edgefield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the said Thomas Prince came to his death by the act of God |
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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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| 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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| William H. Lancaster | September 19, 1883 | at the residence of Jas. Giddes, Spartanburg County, SC |
upon their oaths aforesaid do say that the aforesaid William H. Lancaster ... came to his death from disease of the heart |
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| James Hammons | March 25, 1884 | at Andrew Bristers, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths, do say: That the Said James Hammons came to his death by some natural caus or causes unknown to the jurors |
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| Thomas J. Fuller | October 5, 1894 | at T.J. Fuller's, Laurens County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the said T.J. Fuller came to his death "From Natural Causes." |
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| John Brownlee | June 7, 1863 | at Williamston, Anderson County, SC |
do say that the deceased came to his death, not from any violence but by the visitation of God to the best of our knowledge and belief. |
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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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| Matt Loyd | February 24, 1891 | at Mr. Carmal cemetary near the Old Wills, Edgefield County, SC |
upon their oath do say that the said Matt Loyd died from Dropsy[?] of the heart |
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| Freeman Cook | March 18, 1896 | at John Cook's, Laurens County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that Freeman Cook came to his death from natural causes. |
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| Clarissa Campbell | freedwoman | March 29, 1867 | at the residence of Sarah Campbell, Anderson County, SC |
that the said Clarissa Campbell a freedwoman came to her death natural by the act of God |
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| Charles Aiken | at the Bell place, Fairfield County, SC |
upo their Oaths do say that the deceased Charles Aiken, came to his death form Rupture of a blood vesel at Narthers Church[.] |
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| Julia Banks | September 4, 1891 | at Mr Banks Plantation, Edgefield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that. . .Mrs Julia Banks . . .Supposed to have died from heart decise |
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| John Day | January 28, 1878 | at the Guard house, Greenville County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the said John Day came to his death from the natural cause to wit[?] congestion of the brain |
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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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| Ann Eliza Loid | June 29, 1891 | at William Loid's, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon there oaths Do say that Said Lizar Loid came to her Death from Heart Disease By falling on the floor on the 28th June 1891 |
