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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grover Cassidy | December 3, 1885 | at W. F. Pates, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths, do say: That the Said Grover Casidy came to his death on the 3d day of December A D 1885 form som nautral causes or causes unknown to the jurors |
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| Emmar McDonald | daughter | November 27, 1881 | at William McDonald's, Greenville County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the sd Emma [?] McDonald came to her death by asphyxia of the brain, or some unknown cause |
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| Rachel Manigun | at Feasterville, Fairfield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say, that Rachel Manigon[?] died from a stroke of apoplexy on the 4th of Apr. A.D. 1887, at her home on the plantation of J.B. [?][.] |
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| Infant of Susie Redfern | Infant of Susie Redfern | at Mt. Croghan, Chesterfield County, SC |
[No official declaration] |
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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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| Betsey Wingo | June 9, 1886 | Spartanburg County, SC |
upon their oaths aforesaid do say that the said Betsey Wingo came to her death by the rupture of an aneurism in the right subclavian artery |
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| Chanya | slave | December 31, 1849 | at A.G.W. Gordon's, Spartanburg County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that she came to her death by infirmity and old age |
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| Emma Bennett | July 10, 1888 | at Cheraw, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths, do say: That the Said Emma Benitt came to her death by Som natural caus or causes to the Jury unknown |
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| Sally Williams | July 19, 1880 | n.a., Anderson County, SC |
find her lungs badly affected and diseased came to her death from consumption & had consumption badly. |
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| Pinkie Lemmon | at J.H. Aiken's, Fairfield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say, the said Pinkie Lemmon came to her death from Heart Disease[.] |
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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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| Christopher Norral | January 5, 1815 | at the Dweling house of John Norals, Union County, SC |
say on their oaths that the Said Christopher Norral Came to his Death By the act of God |
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| Elisha Farless[?] | September 15, 1847 | at Robert Youngers Mill house, Fairfield County, SC |
do say upon their oaths that the siad Elisha Farleys[?] died on the 14th[?] instant past at or in the Mill house of Robert Yongers[?] was found dead that he had no markes of violence appearing on his body and died by the visitation of God in a natural way |
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| Edward | slave, boy | October 22, 1858 | at the residence of Wm Miller, Edgefield County, SC |
the said Boy Came to his death by the act of Providence |
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| Jack Dendy | October 25, 1889 | at Jack Dendys, Laurens County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the said Jack Dendy came to his death "From Providential Causes." |
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| Lydia Parish | December 6, 1835 | at the house of Mrs. L. Parrish on Rutledge Street in the town of Camden, Kershaw County, SC |
find no reason to suppose the deceased came to her death otherwise than by the act of God or in the course of nature from diesease the particular character of which is unknown to us |
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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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| 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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| 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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| Benjamin Bishop | November 26, 1840 | taken one mile and a half south of the [?] on the main road leading to Jones' ford on Enoree[?] river, Union County, SC |
do say upon their oaths that the said Benjamin Bishop. . . at a place in the woods near the main road. . . died by the visitation of God in a natural way |
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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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| Finley Hall | November 30, 1912 | at Ansleydale, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon theire oaths do say that the Said Finley Hall come to his death by Natural causes |
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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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| 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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| 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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| Infred Padgett | July 12, 1848 | at the Joal of Edgefield, Edgefield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that Decd came to his death by the act of God |
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| Nancey Means | December 22, 1879 | at D.T. Gibson's, Fairfield County, SC |
upon their oaths aforesaid do say that the Said Nancey Means came to her death by natural causes unknown to the Jury. |
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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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| 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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| Thomas C. Reaves | May 25, 1899 | Kershaw County, SC | |||
| 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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| 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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| 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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| Mrs. Will Hough | March 22, 1930 | at Chesterfield County, South Carolina, Chesterfield County, SC |
[No official declaration] |
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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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| 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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| 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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| 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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| T. G. Cooper | June 5, 1886 | at the late residence of T. G. Cooper, Spartanburg County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the said T. G. Cooper came to his death in his own house we suppose by heart disease |
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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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| Benjamin Crowley | January 31, 1888 | at Benjamin Crowley's, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths, do say: That the said Benjamin Cawley came to his death by some natural cause or causes unknown to the Jury and that he dide on the 30 day of January AD 1888 |
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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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| 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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| John Brown | January 28, 1902 | [no location given], Chesterfield County, SC |
[No official declaration] |
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| Peter | negro man | May 5, 1835 | On the plantation of Jim[?] Rochester, Union County, SC |
do say upon their oaths that the said Peter . . .died by the visitation of God in a natural way |
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| Fom[?] | July 2, 1858 | at the Rev. W. W Gwin on cedar creek, Fairfield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that Fom[?] came to his death by an act of (God) |
