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 |
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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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Unknown Infant | Unknown Infant | June 4, 1868 | at FW Gaylords, Laurens County, SC |
upon their oaths do say, that the said child was still born. . . |
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Delia Hell | at J.K. Alston's plantation, Fairfield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say the deceased came to her death by softening of the brain; in manner and form aforesaid. She came to her death by the hand of God. |
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Spencer Knott | August 9, 1890 | at Spencer Knotts', Chesterfield County, SC |
Jurors aforesaid that said that Spencer Knotts came to his death from some natcherel case or cosses to the jury owns known |
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Charley Young | June 17, 1893 | on the plantation of Henry Young, Laurens County, SC |
upon their oathes do say that the said Charley Young came to his death from (Heart Failure). |
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Joseph Smith | freeman | July 25, 1866 | at Benjamin Vaughn's, Greenville County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that he came to his death . . .by some means unknown to the jurors |
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John Nelson | June 5, 1826 | in the house of John Nelson Sen'r on Grannie's Quarter, Kershaw County, SC |
do say upon their oaths that he came to his death by the visitation of God |
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Janice Parsons | October 8, 1899 | [no location given], Chesterfield County, SC |
[No official declaration] |
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Thomas Noble | March 30, 1872 | at the residence of Thos Noble, Laurens County, SC |
upon their oaths do Say That Thomas Noble in the manner and form aforesaid came to his Death by the act of God. |
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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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Unknown | at Davis Lyles'[?] place, Fairfield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the aforesaid Infant came to his death from Premature birth[.] |
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George Robinson | January 12, 1892 | at the plantation of E. B. Davis, Edgefield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say from Heart failure |
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Martha M. Kerr | March 10, 1881 | at the house of Edward L. Kerr, Spartanburg County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the said Martha M. Kerr came to her death by the act of God: hemorage of the lungs |
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John Brownlee | June 7, 1863 | at Williamston, Anderson County, SC |
do say that the deceased came to his death, not from any violence but by the visitation of God to the best of our knowledge and belief. |
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D. L. Campbell | October 21, 1894 | at the residence of D. L. Campbell, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that D L Campbell deceased come to his death from hart trouble |
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George Blakely | August 23, 1889 | at Tom Youngs, Laurens County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that George Blakely came to his death "Natural Causes" |
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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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W. Thomas Welsh | January 16, 1890 | at Sebram Welsh, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon there oaths do Say that the Said W. T. Welsh came to his death from some unknown Cause to the Jury |
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Jim | slave | June 10, 1859 | at M, L, Bonham Esqr residence on the Pine House road, Edgefield County, SC |
upon there oaths do say that the said Jim a slave. . .came to his death by the act of Providence |
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Henry Clarkson | May 10, 1871 | at Antiark Church, Kershaw County, SC |
upon their oaths do say ... that the aforesaid Henry Clarkson ... came to his death disease of the heart |
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Nancy Johnson | June 11, 1906 | at Whitfield Johnson, Chesterfield County, SC |
AND so the said Jurors aforesaid, upon their oaths aforesaid, do say that the aforesaid Nancy Johnson came to her death from natural causes |
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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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Unknown Infant | Unknown Infant | April 26, 1888 | at Margret Bouer, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths, do say: That the said Infant Child came to her death by being accidently Smothered and that it dide on the 26th day of A D 1888 |
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Aaron Oxner | October 11, 1877 | at Shelton, Fairfield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that in their opinion & from the[?] best information that Aaron Oxner came to his death from Appoplexy |
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Lona May Hamilton | child | October 18, 1893 | at or near Longmires PO[?], Edgefield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say, that she said Lona May Hamilton came to death. . .on the plantation of J.A. Deale. . .by accidental suffication |
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Mag Potee | at N.D. Roberts place, Fairfield County, SC |
upon their Oaths do say that the deceasd came to her death at her home the night of the 2d of Sept 1892 from natural causes[.] |
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John Williams | February 9, 1879 | at the house of Newton Perry [?] on the plantation of Thomas Cox, Anderson County, SC |
do say, that deceased [John Williams] came to his death by dropsical affiction. |
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George Center | October 28, 1880 | at George W. Centers, Greenville County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the said George W Center came to his death by heart disease |
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Elizabeth Cook | May 27, 1881 | at Greenville, Greenville County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that. . . the said Elizabeth came to her death from heart disease |
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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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Priscilla Clark | March 28, 1837 | at the house of Jesse Clark, Union County, SC |
do say upon their oaths that the said Priscilla Clark . . . died by the visitation 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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Isaac Jones | July 1, 1881 | at Ridge Spring, Edgefield County, SC |
upon there oaths do say that the deceast came to his death from Nattural Causese the visitation of Providence |
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James Cook | June 3, 1845 | in the old field near the still house of James Cook, Spartanburg County, SC |
do say upon their oaths that the said James Cook came to his death by the visitation of God |
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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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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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Infant Child | Infant Child | March 12, 1891 | at Ebb Hildreth, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths, do say: That the said Infant child came to the death from natural cause or causes |
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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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Martha McFarlan | September 20, 1890 | at Robert Mcfarlan, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon thire oaths do say that the Said Martha McFarling came to her death from natural causes to the Jury unknown |
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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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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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Caroline Batson | freed woman | November 21, 1866 | at Reedy River Church, Greenville County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that she came to her death by exposing herself while sick with fever |
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Cooper | slave | March 17, 1852 | at the plantation of L.H. Mundy decd, Edgefield County, SC |
where & when & by what means the Said Slave, Cooper came to his death By acute Gastro Duodinitis[?] |
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slave | slave | May 31, 1832 | Kershaw County, SC |
do unanimously believed that the said negro woman deceased formerly the property of Isaac Mothershed now lying Dead came to her death by an act of God |
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Mary Elizabeth Rallings | February 6, 1900 | at Sanford Rallings', Chesterfield County, SC |
upon there oaths do say That Mary Elizabeth Rallings came to her death by mischance or natural causes |
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Sealy Henry | July 1, 1873 | Laurens County, SC |
we the under named jurors do find in accordance with the opinion of Dr. S. S. Knight. By disease most probably epilepsy caused her death. |
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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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Phillis | August 18, 1831 | at the house of Charles P. Stone, Fairfield County, SC |
do say upon their oaths that, according to all the testimony adduced to them, they are inclined to believe, that on the 17th instant, the said Phillis being often last spring, complaining of Hysterical, vapours she was taken with a Hysteric Attack which caused her death |
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Martha Lanham | January 29, 1892 | at Wilts[?] Curryes place, Edgefield County, SC |
upon their oaths do Say that Marsha Lanham Came to her death from hart failure |