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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Olin Smith | Anderson County, SC |
I found he died from natural causes |
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| John Polk | February 27, 1889 | at Hannah Polks House, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon thire oaths do Say Infant child came to his death from natural causes unknown to the Jurors |
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| Sebron Miller | June 30, 1903 | at Jefferson, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon there oaths do say that the said Sebron Miller came to his deth by natural causes |
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| Emma Duval | September 9, 1878 | at Greenville, Greenville County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that she . . .came to her death from natural causes |
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| Maria Powell | at the Paggitt place, Fairfield County, SC |
upon their Oaths do say that the deceased came to her death at her residence the 4 day of May A D 1891 from heart failure. |
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| Harriet Hill | May 27, 1884 | Spartanburg County, SC |
upon their oaths aforesaid do say that the aforesaid Harriet Hill ... came to her death the hand of God |
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| Manerva Proctor | September 19, 1876 | at Thomas Anderson's place, Fairfield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say: That Manerva Proctor came to her death by disease of the heart. |
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| Wade Barronton | October 8, 1860 | at Wade Barrontons Residence, Edgefield County, SC |
upon there oaths do say that the said Wade Barronton came to his death. . .by the Visitation of God |
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| Elisha Himbry | October 11, 1832 | at the house of William Himbry, Spartanburg County, SC |
do say upon their oaths that he was found on the tenth day of the present month about one mile from this place lying in the woods on his farm and they do believe he came to his death by the act of God |
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| W. W. Rodgers | January 7, 1893 | at Clinton, Laurens County, SC |
upon their oathes do say that the Aforesaid W W Rodgers came to his death on this 7th day of Jan, about 8, 10 Oclock AM, at Clinton, S.C. from Hemorhage and Blood Clot on the Brain. |
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| Amos Lee | July 10, 1852 | at Amos Lee's, Union County, SC |
upon ther oaths do say . . .that the said Amos Lee Come to his death by the act of God |
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| Jerry | July 11, 1811 | at the plantation of James Glen, Laurens County, SC |
do say upon their oathes, that they are of opinion that the said Negro boy died a Natural Death |
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| James Lee | April 7, 1834 | at Amos Lee's, Union County, SC |
do say upon there oaths that the sd James Lee . . .on the plantation of William Hay[?] . . .Dyed By the Visitation of god in a natural way |
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| Elizabeth McHolister | August 16, 1855 | at the house of Elijah McHolister, Anderson County, SC |
do say that the said Elizabeth McHolister in manner and form aforesaid came to her death by the dispensation of providence. |
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| Henry Leard Bancum | November 29, 1894 | at W. H. Funderburk's, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths, do say That it was an act of providence from natural causes |
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| Joel W. Warren | November 9, 1894 | at Joseph Mirren[?] House, Edgefield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say and belief that he Joel W. Warren came to his death by heart failure |
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| infant | infant | June 6, 1876 | at Orange Goodlet'ts, Greenville County, SC |
upon their oaths do say . . .the jury is not able to say whether the child was born alive or not. |
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| Cintha Boon | April 10, 1926 | [Stein?] Pin Township, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths, do say: Died of Heart failure |
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| Isaac F. Swinney | March 12, 1875 | at Chesterfield C. H., Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths, do say: the under verdict that the deceased Isaac F Swinney came to his death from some natural cause |
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| James Goodson | September 28, 1807 | Kershaw County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the said James Goodson . . .was found dead, that he had no such marks of violence on his body as would have occasioned his death & died by the visitation of God & not otherwise |
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| Jane Owens | at Ms. Helen Smith's, Fairfield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say She died from a paroxism of asthma |
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| Daniel W. Willis | September 27, 1887 | at the residence of the deceased Daniel Willis, Spartanburg County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the [said] Daniel Willis came to his death of heart disease |
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| Anarky Thompson | at Joe Freshleys, Fairfield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the deceased came to her death from diseas of the heart called osfication of the valve of the heart, on the plantation of Joe Freshley, in Fairfield County SoC. The 1st of May 1884. |
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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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| Isaac Greer | December 29, 1879 | at Vernonville, Spartanburg County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that he came to his death by cause or causes unknown to them but in their opinion it was an act of God |
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| Clarisa Epps | July 20, 1868 | at Laurens C.H., Laurens County, SC |
upon their oaths do Say that the afore said Claricy Epps came to her death by the visitation of God. |
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| Sharp | infant male child | June 5, 1861 | at Wm Bovels[?], Union County, SC |
uppon there oaths do say that . . .we conclud that Decsd Came to its Death by the hand of the Almighty |
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| Lila Gambrell | October 21, 1875 | at the house of Ran Duckworth, Anderson County, SC |
do say that the said Lila Gambrell came to her death by mischance produced by personal epolepsy [sic]. |
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| Barbra Franklin | June 6, 1898 | near Swift Creek Colored Baptist Church, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the said barbra Franklin of the said county and said state on the Evening of the fifth day of June 1898 Did come to her death from natural causes |
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| Unknown | March 26, 1875 | at the residence of Mr. John Murpheys, Fairfield County, SC |
upon their oaths do Say that the death of the Child was the Act of God |
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| John Brown | December 20, 1844 | at the house of John Brown, Edgefield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say, that. . .the aforesaid John Brown came to his death by mischance or misfortune by the act of God, unknown to the Jurors |
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| Micjah Ward | February 9, 1849 | at the house of M. Ward, Kershaw County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that he came to his death by the visitation of God |
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| Luvenia Elmore | March 15, 1883 | at J A Fergusons place, Laurens County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the cause of her death on the 14th day of March AD. 1883 on J A Fergusons place in Laurens County from Congestion. |
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| Dick | slave | March 19, 1837 | at the house of Edward Gregory, Union County, SC |
do say that the said Dick . . .died by the visitation of God in a natural way |
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| Infant of Mary Sellers | Infant of Mary Sellers | December 1, 1894 | at J. H. Seller's, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths, do say: the infant child came to its death from natural causes |
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| Allen Melton | January 6, 1893 | at the residence of Mr. James Cottege, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths do says that it is their belief that Allen Melton came to his death from natural causes - in all probability - form failure of the heart to perform its proper functions |
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| Levi S. Mathews | July 13, 1892 | at G. C. Wheerles[?] Residence, Edgefield County, SC |
upon their do Say. . .that the aforesaid Levi S. Mathews. . .Came to his death from hart Failure |
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| Elizabeth Pinnel | February 27, 1851 | at the late residence of Elizabeth Pinnel, Greenville County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that Elizabeth Pinnel in maner[?] and form aforesaid came to her death by the providence of God |
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| Amy Crawford | February 2, 1890 | at Neal Crawford, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon thire oaths do say that he Said Aimie Crawford came to her death by some cause or causes to this jury unknown |
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| Charley Gainey | November 18, 1903 | at T.C. Williams', Chesterfield County, SC |
the said Charley Gainey diseased came to his death from heart failure |
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| Elizabeth Walker | March 1, 1879 | at P. A. McDavid, Greenville County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that Elizabeth Walker came to her death by misfortune or accident |
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| Ephram Ashford | at [?], Fairfield County, SC |
upon their Oaths do say that the deceased came to his death at his home from heart failure |
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| Nicholas Gibson | June 26, 1884 | at the residence of Nicholas Gibson, Spartanburg County, SC |
upon their oaths do say ... that the aforesaid Nicholas Gibson came to his death ... in the manner as testified to by the examining physician, Dr. M. Bonner |
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| Thomas R. Bell | December 23, 1876 | at the late residence of Thos R. Bell, Fairfield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say after hearing the testimony for the state, that Tho's R. Bell's death was caused by disease of the heart |
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| Rebeca Eidson | May 29, 1861 | at the Residence of William Eidson, Edgefield County, SC |
upon there oaths do say that it is made evident to theme that the said deceased came to here death. . .from Congestion Pneumonia |
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| Samuel Flagg | February 18, 1833 | near Wilson's old field, Spartanburg County, SC |
after examining the body of the sd. dec'd & finding no marks fo violence committed beleave [sic] that he was brought to his death by the visitation of God |
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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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| Thomas Harrell | January 19, 1838 | near the Union line south of Tygar River, Spartanburg County, SC |
do say uppon [sic] there [sic] oaths that the said Thomas Harrell. . .had no marks of violence uppon [sic] him and died by the visitation of God in a natural way |
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| Tower | December 27, 1809 | at Benjamin Strange's, Laurens County, SC |
do say upon their oaths that they believe his death came by the act of god |
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| Levy | negro man slave | January 9, 1849 | at Austin Wilson's, Union County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that Levy Came to his death by natural Cause and that was an Act of God |
