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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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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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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Mary May | April 14, 1854 | at J. W. May's, Anderson County, SC |
believe came to her death by the hand of Providence. |
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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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Charlotte | slave | August 6, 1837 | in Camden, Kershaw County, SC |
do say that she came to her death by affliction[?] of the heart |
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William Autry | March 16, 1896 | at E. W. Gulledge's place, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths, do say: that the said Wm Autry came to his death from natural causes |
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Moriah Scott | infant child | September 26, 1875 | at Ness[?] Scott's, Greenville County, SC |
upon their oaths, do say that Moriah L. Scott infant child . . .came to her death from cold |
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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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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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James Mitchell | February 18, 1879 | at L D Laudrums, Edgefield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the said Jas Mitchell came to his death by means unknown |
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Theatus or Theater Williams | August 21, 1926 | at Mt. Croghan, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths, do say: Theates Williams came to his Death from Hart Farlery |
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Sallie McDowell | August 12, 1882 | Spartanburg County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that ... Sallie McDowell died of indigestion |
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John Campbell | September 26, 1883 | at Chesterfield C. H., Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say That the said John Campbell came to his death by some natural caus or causes unknown to the jurors |
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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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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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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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infant | January 23, 1873 | at residence of M. A. Snipes, Anderson County, SC |
do say that it came to its death by the act of God |
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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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John Jones | December 16, 1817 | at John Jones's, Spartanburg County, SC |
do say upon their oaths. . .that the said John Jones did die a natural death |
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Janice Parsons | October 8, 1899 | [no location given], Chesterfield County, SC |
[No official declaration] |
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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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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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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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Infant of C. P. Rushing | Infant of C. P. Rushing | December 19, 1894 | at C. P. Rushing's Place, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths, do say: That the said child came to its death from some natural cause or causes |
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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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Caswell Waldrop | April 18, 1882 | at the residence of Caswell Waldrop, Greenville County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that . . . the said Caswell Waldrop . . . came to his death from the effect of an epileptic fit. |
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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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James Robinson | May 20, 1883 | n.a., Anderson County, SC |
came to his death by the act of God in the form of Apoplexy |
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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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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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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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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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Simon West | March 25, 1857 | near the house of dec'd, Spartanburg County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that it is by the visitation of God |
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Elizabeth Mitchel | October 12, 1845 | at the dwelling house of David Mitchel, Union County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that . . .the deceased went to bed in the house of David Mitchel . . .in good health, and was found a corps on the morning of the twelfth, and do believe that She came to her death by a visitation of god |
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Victor | male slave | April 24, 1859 | at A. L. Dearing Plantation, Edgefield County, SC |
upon there oaths do say that the said Victor came to his death by a providential occurance |
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Huston Griffith | August 24, 1910 | at J. N. Sowell's Place, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths, do say: that the Said Huston Griffith came to Death By natural causes |
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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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Charlotte Johnson | July 9, 1906 | on the plantation of George Johnson, Chesterfield County, SC |
[No official declaration] |
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Rose Watts | December 8, 1891 | at Mountville, Laurens County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that Rose Watts came to her death by misfortune or the act of God. |
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infant | infant | January 22, 1894 | at Oak Gilchrist House, Edgefield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say, that the said Infant Came to its death from a cause unknown |
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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 Drake | December 7, 1854 | at residence of James Drake, Anderson County, SC |
do say that the said James Drake came to his death by the hand of God |
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Nancy Loyns | June 25, 1889 | at Elias Ballingers, Spartanburg County, SC |
upon there oaths do say from the evidence heard in case and our belief is that she died of consumption |
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John McDonald | April 15, 1839 | at Daniel McDonalds, Kershaw County, SC |
do say upon their oaths that they believe the said John McDonald ... being a youth in the district aforesaid there & then died of the visitation of God |
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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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Sally Foster | April 14, 1876 | at Flora[?] Manwell[?], Greenville County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that Sally Foster died of Epileptic Convulsion or as is more commonly called Fitts |
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Sindy Simmons | at Winnsboro, Fairfield County, SC |
upon their Oaths do say that the deceased came to her death at her Brother, Ben Davis in Fairfield County SC the 12 day of Sept 1898 from natural causes[.] |
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negro child | negro child | September 23, 1848 | at the plantation of Davis Foudalock, Union County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that . . .it must have dyed by the visitation of god |
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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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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 |