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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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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| 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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| J. D. Wells | December 14, 1890 | at Edgefield C.H., Edgefield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the deceased J D Wells came to his death from Heart disease |
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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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| Mrs. Will Hough | March 22, 1930 | at Chesterfield County, South Carolina, Chesterfield County, SC |
[No official declaration] |
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| Nathaniel Miller | September 2, 1825 | Spartanburg County, SC |
do say upon their oaths aforesaid that he came to his death by an act of God |
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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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| 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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| 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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| 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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| 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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| Joshua Clark | January 26, 1885 | on a rode leading from B. B. Martin's to John Champions, Spartanburg County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that said deceased came to his death by an organic disease of the Heart |
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| Chaney | negro woman | December 11, 1855 | at the dwelling house of Mrs Randall in the Town of Hamburg, Edgefield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say, that Chaney, the woman now lying dead before them came to her death by the Visitation of God |
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| Chasey Futrul | May 4, 1888 | at Cheraw, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths, do say: That the Said Chasey Futrul came to her death by Som natural caus or causs to the jury unknown and she dide on the 4 day of May 1888 |
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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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| 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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| William McLure | December 7, 1844 | at or near the plantation of John Gage, Union County, SC |
do say that the said William McLure . . .was found lying dead near a small path leading from Union Ville to the plantation of John Gage . . .we therefore do believe that he died from some providential cause to us unknown |
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| Sallie Busch | August 21, 1892 | at Lewis Beans plantation, Edgefield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say That she came to her death from heart failure |
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| Elias Smith | August 24, 1869 | in the county of Anderson, Anderson County, SC |
do say that while from the evidence before the jury there was serious grounds for suspicion that the said Elias Smith had come to his death by some in-proper means, the evidence of the dissecting physician relieves the jury of the disagreeable necessity of prosecuting the investigation further, and so the jurors aforesaid, upon their oaths do say that the aforesaid Elias Smith came to his death by apopsy of the chest and diseased liver |
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| Rachell Smith | at the McDowell place, Fairfield County, SC |
upon their Oaths do say that the deceased came to her death from dissease of the heart. |
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| Madison Harper | September 23, 1867 | at the residence of R.E. Ellison, Fairfield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the said Madison Harper came to his death from disease by the visitation of God |
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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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| Ned Dial | December 25, 1890 | at Powers, Laurens County, SC |
upon their oaths do say That Ned Dial came to his death from natural causes. |
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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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| Alexander Moore | May 22, 1889 | at Wellford, Spartanburg County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the deceased Alexander Moore came to his death from the evidence given and our belief [is] that he died of apoplexy |
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| Bob | negro | September 23, 1864 | in the District, Edgefield County, SC |
upon there oaths do say and dclare that the said Bob came to his death by the Visitation of God |
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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 |
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| Aneliza Perdue | January 31, 1913 | at Chesterfield County, South Carolina, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the said Aneliza Perdue did come to her death by Natural causes |
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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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| 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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| negro child | negro child | November 1, 1837 | at Union C.H., Union County, SC |
do say upon their oaths say that the said negro child . . .died by the visitation of God in a natural way |
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| infant Boy | infant Boy | October 29, 1894 | at [?] Coleman, Edgefield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the said infant didid from natural cause or by the hand god |
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| Martha Morris | January 9, 1881 | at the residence of Warren Morris, Anderson County, SC |
do say that the deceased came to her death from disease of the lungs . . . at the residence of Warren Morris. |
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| Mary Knopp | Fairfield County, SC |
do state that said Mrs Mary Knopp came to her death by "heart failure." |
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| Dinah Jackson | April 29, 1880 | at Joseph Thompson's Plantation, Fairfield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say, that Dinah Jackson came to her death from natural causes unknown to the jury. |
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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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| Nehemiah Franks | July 27, 1859 | at Nehemiah Franks, Laurens County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that he the aforesaid Nehemiah Franks in manner and form aforesaid do say that he came to his death in his own house by the act of God. |
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| T. A. Parker | June 2, 1897 | at the Residence of J. L. Johnson, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oath doo say that T.A. Parker deceast came to hir death we find that the deceast came to hir death from natural causes we find that the deceast came to hir death from natural causes |
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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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| Learma Butler | November 7, 1890 | at W.H. Folks plantation, Edgefield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that she came to her death from rheumatism of the Heart ... by natural causes |
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| Israel | slave | November 3, 1845 | on the plantation of David Gentry, Anderson County, SC |
do say that the said Israel came to his death by mischance, and not from any injury inflicted by the hand of another, but by the act of God. |
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| Betty Gene Mangum | December 19, 1934 | at Pageland, Chesterfield County, SC |
[No official declaration] |
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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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| Thomas Wynn | October 31, 1868 | at William Bousar's, Greenville County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the dec'd died a natural death in his bed |
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| Arthur R. Hill | January 1, 1883 | at Mrs F[?] Browns place, Laurens County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that Arthur R Hill came to his death on the 1st day of January AD 1883 by some sickness... |
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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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| Emma Alexander | July 2, 1885 | Spartanburg County, SC |
upon their oaths say that from the evidence before them that the said Emma Alexander died from congestion of the lungs |
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| Dudley Roundtree | August 10, 1856 | at the dwelling house of the late Dudley Roundtree, Edgefield County, SC |
the said Dudley Roundtree came to his death. . .that the said death was by the visitation of God, and so the jury sworn and [?] as aforesaid upon their oaths declare |
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| Willis Arther Jenkins | February 4, 1888 | at J. C. Jenkins, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths, do say: That the Said Willis Arther Jenkins came to his death by some natural cause or causes unknown to the jurors and that he dide on the 4 day of Feb 1888 |
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| Mittie Mitchell | September 19, 1902 | at Chesterfield County, South Carolina, Chesterfield County, SC |
[No official declaration] |
