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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amy Thompson | June 12, 1878 | at or near Shelton, Fairfield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the Said Amy Thompson came to her Death from Disease of the Heart. |
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| James Wilson | March 27, 1846 | at the house of Alexander Moorehead, Anderson County, SC |
do say that the said James Wilson came to his death by the hands of Providence causes unknown to the jury. |
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| Joseph Moore Jr. | April 19, 1846 | at the house of Dr John D. Nicholson, Edgefield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the said Joseph Moore Jr came to his death by the rupture of a blood vessel of the lungs |
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| Calline Crosby | Fairfield County, SC |
up pon these oths do say that She came to her death from heart failure[.] |
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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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| William Smith | infant | January 20, 1869 | at Stephen C. Smith residence, Greenville County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that he came to his death by some means or disease to the jurors unknown |
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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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| Blair Massey | Alias: Isaac Funderburk | May 16, 1896 | at Phillip Arrant, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths, do say that the deceased came to his death by natural causes |
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| Answorth Middleton | December 3, 1816 | at James Boyds, Laurens County, SC |
Do say that he the said Answorth Middleton came to his Ende by the hand of god. |
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| Wiliam Clinton | May 11, 1928 | at Wiliam Clinton's place, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths, do say: that Wiliam Clinton came to his Death from natial causes |
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| Abraham Ison | July 17, 1855 | at Abraham Ison's House, Union County, SC |
upon there Oaths do say . . .that the Deceased came to his death by the act of God |
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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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| 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 |
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| E. A. Teal | September 1, 1883 | near and on the north side of the Public Road leading from Chesterfield C. H. to Abrahams Creek and the middle prong of said Creek, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the said E.A. Teal, came to her death from natural causes there neing no marks of violence upon her body |
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| Dorisa Byrd | at Martin Byrd's, Fairfield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that Dorisa Byrd came to her death from congestion of the lungs at on the plantation of Oliver Sloan[.] |
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| Fanny Payton | colored woman, free from birth | June 20, 1870 | at residence of Harry Gallard[?], Anderson County, SC |
do say that the deceased came to her death in her bed in the room she usually slept and from disease of the heart |
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| Alice Miller | November 16, 1893 | in Alice Miller's house, Laurens County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that she came to her death from Heart Disease and that no violence of any kind was used by any person. |
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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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| 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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| Ben Shubrick | col | December 24, 1869 | at Negro heade Lane, Edgefield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say That they find that the said Ben Shubrick col came to his death by the act of Providence |
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| Mary Jane Rivers | September 12, 1900 | [no location given], Chesterfield County, SC |
I do not deem it necessary to hold an inquest but from such evidence find that the said Mrs Jane Rivers came to her death from none other than natural causes. |
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| May | March 20, 1832 | at the plantation of Doctor William Bratton on Wateree Creek, Fairfield County, SC |
do say upon their oaths, that according to the evidence adduced to them, they believe that on the 19th instant in a field where the said May was breaking Cotton Halks, he was taken with an appoplectic fit and expired in an instant |
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| Unknown Infant | Unknown Infant | March 27, 1895 | at Daniel McGarland's place, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths, do say: The said infant child was the Child of Caroline Laurean but from being buried such a length of time was in such a state of decomposition, it was impossible from autopsy to find out cause of death, Therefore we find that it came to its death from some cause unknown to it there |
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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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| 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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| John McDaniel | May 31, 1839 | at McCaskill's graveyard, Kershaw County, SC |
upon their oaths do say we found upon examination of the body of John McDaniel no cause nor have heard any testimony to lead us to believe that he cam eto his death otherwise than by 'a visitiation of God' |
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| Richard Stevens | February 21, 1898 | at Johnston S.C., Edgefield County, SC |
upon their Oaths aforesaid, do say, that the aforesaid Dick Stevens died. . .from visitation of God |
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| Daniel Brown | October 8, 1881 | at the plantation of Willis Watkins, Anderson County, SC |
do say that the said Daniel Brown died. . . in the cotton field on the plantation of Willis Watkins by no act of violence or foul means but by heart disease. |
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| Dora Jackson | December 26, 1893 | near Cheraw, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths aforesaid do say that the deceased Dora Jackson came to her death in the manner and from aforesaid that is from natural causes |
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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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| infant | December 24, 1882 | at the residence of Miss Mary Bridges, Spartanburg County, SC | |||
| Ben Harris | July 8, 1910 | at McBee, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths, do say: that he came to his death form natural causes |
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| John Uriah Bedenbaugh | September 17, 1835 | on the plantation of Thomas Satten, Union County, SC |
do say upon their oaths that the said John Uriah Bedenbaugh. . . died by the visitation of God in a natural way |
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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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| E. D. Holly | September 21, 1907 | at Holley's Mill, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths, do say: She died from natural causes |
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| Lucinda Scott | September 9, 1878 | at P. Hastings' Plantation, Fairfield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the said Lucinda Scott came to her death at the house of John Scott; on P. Hastings plantation. September 8th 1878. from hemorrhages of the Lungs. |
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| John M. Bonds | December 16, 1850 | at Isom R. Bond's, Anderson County, SC |
do say having understood that the said John M. Bonds died very suddenly on the mornign of the 15th of this Instant while going as a boat hand on Savannah River. . . .we the jury report that we fully concur in the opinion of the said doctors as reported by them to the coroner...that is to say that John M. Bonds came to his death by a diseased action in the Larynx producing or giving rise to suffocation. |
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| George W. Medlock | January 1, 1848 | at the house of Daniel Abby, Edgefield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the said George W Medlock came to his death from a disease of the heart |
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| Abram Alston | near Dawkins, Fairfield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that Abram Alston manner and form aforsaid came to his death from natural causes |
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| Edmund Chambers | November 18, 1819 | at the house of Edmund Chambers, Spartanburg County, SC |
do say upon their oaths that the aforesaid Edmund Chambers. . .died by the visitation of God |
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| M. M. Oneall | December 1, 1870 | at the residence of Elias E. Roberts, Greenville County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the said Mrs. M.M. Oneall came to her death from disease of the heart |
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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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| Ida Sellers | June 4, 1896 | at W.K. Sellers' Place, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths, do say: That the said Ida Sellers came to her death from some causes or cause unknown to them |
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| Dick | August 13, 1818 | on the plantation of John Boyd, Laurens County, SC |
the said Dick came to his death by the Act of God do Say upon their oaths here inserted. |
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| Shelt Gainey | February 17, 1929 | [no location given], Chesterfield County, SC |
We Find du Explannation and Testimony frm Witnesses and Doctor that Deceased Shelt Gainy came to his Death from Natural Cause, Heart Trouble and Accut Indigestion from eating Fresh Pork for his supper |
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| Jim | slave | October 4, 1858 | at Giles Sharps, Union County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that Jim came to his death for some cause unknown or the visitation of god |
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| Jacob Belue | July 31, 1882 | at Jacob Belues, Greenville County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the said Jacob Belue came to his death from congestion of the lungs |
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| Lidda Hampton | November 24, 1893 | at A Derrecks, Edgefield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the said Lidda Hampton came to her death from heart failure |
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| Adeline Terry | February 6, 1883 | at Henry Grant's, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon there oaths do Say That the said Adline Terry came to her death from som caus or causes unknown to the jurors |
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| Sallie Walker | at M.J. Steel's[?] place, Fairfield County, SC |
upon their Oaths do say tha the deceased Sallie Walker came to her death from heart diseas on the Plantation of Mrs M.J. Slide[.] |
