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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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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| Christen Turnage | August 29, 1892 | at Robert Turnage, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths, do say: that Christen Turnage came to her death form some cause or causes to the Jury unknown |
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| Infant of Diliar Harrell | Infant of Diliar Harrell | September 15, 1905 | at Mr. Douglass's Mill, Chesterfield County, SC |
so the said Jurors aforesaid, upon their oaths aforesaid, do say that the aforesaid child came to death by causes unknown to them. |
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| Caswell Waldrop | April 18, 1882 | at the residence of Caswell Waldrop, Greenville County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that . . . the said Caswell Waldrop . . . came to his death from the effect of an epileptic fit. |
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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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| Arlen Blakney Watson | February 2, 1902 | at Chesterfield County, South Carolina, Chesterfield County, SC |
[No official declaration] |
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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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| 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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| George | slave | June 24, 1857 | at W.B. family[?] plantation, Greenville County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the said George came to his death by the [?] of Almighty God. |
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| Simon West | March 25, 1857 | near the house of dec'd, Spartanburg County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that it is by the visitation of God |
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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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| Elizabeth Leightner | July 1, 1875 | at Col. Fenlis[?] Plantation, Fairfield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say: that Eizabeth Leightner came to her death from some cause unknown to the Jurors. |
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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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| Joseph Prince | April 13, 1842 | Union County, SC |
came to his death by the visitation of God |
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| Thomas Tillman | July 22, 1894 | at Thomas Tillman's place, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths, do say: that the said Tillman came to his death form natural causes |
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| Harry | slave | December 17, 1855 | at Jesse Gray's residence, Anderson County, SC |
do say that he came to it by manner and means to them unknown, but believe it was by the visitation of God |
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| Charlotte | slave | August 6, 1837 | in Camden, Kershaw County, SC |
do say that she came to her death by affliction[?] of the heart |
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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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| Charley Turner | February 8, 1922 | at J W Patsobe, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths, do say: That Charley Turner came to his death from natural cause |
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| George Bracy | August 19, 1871 | the plantation of Wm Cassady, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths, do say: That the deceased, George Bracey, came to his death by a visitation of Providence at the plantation Wm Cassady, on the 18th day of August 1871 |
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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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| 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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| Fayet Walter | January 20, 1877 | at Greenville, Greenville County, SC |
upont their oaths do say that the dec'd Fayet Walter came to his death from a disease known as congestion of the lungs caused from severe cold |
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| Sallie McDowell | August 12, 1882 | Spartanburg County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that ... Sallie McDowell died of indigestion |
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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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| Thomas Stevenson | at the Jesse Wayride place, Fairfield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the deceased Thos. Stevenson, came to his death from some disease supposed to be disease of the Heart[.] |
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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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| 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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| 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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| Unknown Infant | Unknown Infant | February 23, 1883 | at Chesterfield C. H., Chesterfield County, SC |
upon there oaths do say That the said Infant Child came to his death from som cause or causes unknown to the Jurors and that there was no foul play |
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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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| 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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| Beller McAlester | March 11, 1876 | at house of deceased, Anderson County, SC |
do say that she came to her death by the act of God in a applect fitt [sic] |
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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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| 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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| Jonathan | June 5, 1826 | at the plantation of Wm Ader[?], Fairfield County, SC |
do say upon our oaths that our [?] from the evidence Jonathan came to his death by the Visitation of God |
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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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| 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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| Samuel Threatt | November 4, 1892 | at Samuel Threatt's, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths Do say," that the Deceased came to his Death by some unknown cause to them |
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| Infant of J. L. Hancock | Infant of J. L. Hancock | March 3, 1899 | at J.S. Oliver's, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths, do say: the child come to its death by natural causes |
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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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| Simon C. Wood[?] | December 26, 1857 | at Wm Calelaziers[?], Edgefield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say, that the said Simon C Nood came to his death by some unknown cause or rather by the visitation of Providence |
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| Harry Horton | October 8, 1889 | at Harry Hortons, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say That the aforesaid Harry Horton came to his death by the act of God or natural causes |
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| Mittie Mitchell | September 19, 1902 | at Chesterfield County, South Carolina, Chesterfield County, SC |
[No official declaration] |
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| Sam Clark | near Lyles Ford, Fairfield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that in their opinion Sam Clark came to his death from Heart diseas |
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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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| Sarah Bressey | September 14, 1857 | at [?] Village, Greenville County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that . . . she came to her death . . . by a natural death. |
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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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| Caroline Coleman | July 25, 1893 | at Brisel[?] Blacks Residence, Edgefield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say. . .that the said Caroline Coleman aforesaid came to her death from heart failure |
