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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morriss unknown | free man of color | January 7, 1858 | at Grief Tater's residence, Anderson County, SC |
do say the said that Morris (a free man of color)?more than probably came to his death by dropsy of the heart |
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| Baby Roscoe | June 18, 1934 | at Ruby & Hartsville Cross Roads, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths, do say: Still Born |
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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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| Reubin Weaver | December 28, 1895 | at Elijah Boatwrights Plantation, Edgefield County, SC |
upon their oaths, do say, that Reubin Weaver aforesaid came to his death from heart failure |
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| infant child | infant child | February 28, 1877 | at Greenville CH, Greenville County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the said infant child of Ella Mitchell came to his death caused by congestion of the liver stomach & bowels |
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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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| James W. Steene | August 22, 1898 | at the Residence of Deceased James W. Steene, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say...we find that The deceased came to his death from Heart Falure |
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| Henry B. Mathers | November 26, 1841 | at the house of Benjamin Nettles, Kershaw County, SC |
upon their oaths do say the believe it was by the visitation of God |
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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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| Unknown Infant | Unknown Infant | February 23, 1883 | at Chesterfield C. H., Chesterfield County, SC |
upon there oaths do say That the said Infant Child came to his death from som cause or causes unknown to the Jurors and that there was no foul play |
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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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| 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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| Silvy Nix | January 1, 1891 | Edgefield County, SC |
upon their oaths do Say that She came to her death by natural causes |
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| Lewis Denham | December 6, 1883 | Spartanburg County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that said Lewis Denham ... in the field near his house died of natural causes |
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| Beller McAlester | March 11, 1876 | at house of deceased, Anderson County, SC |
do say that she came to her death by the act of God in a applect fitt [sic] |
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| Sarah Johnson | July 8, 1893 | at Hebron Church, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths, do say: that the said Sarah Johnson came to her death from 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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| Doreas Mobley | May 18, 1870 | at the house of Mrs. Doreas Mobley, Fairfield County, SC |
do say upon their oaths that the said Dorene Mobley on the 18th day of May in the year One thousand Eigth Hundred and Seventy at her house in the county aforesaid, was found dead, that she had no marks of violence upon her, and died by the visitation of God in a natural way, and not otherwise. |
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| James Johnson | October 13, 1852 | at James Johnson's farm, Union County, SC |
he came to his death by some caus unknown to us |
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| Bettie McConnell | near Lyles Ford, Fairfield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say, "That Bettie McConnell in manner and form aforsaid, came to her death from by heart failure." |
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| Edward | slave, boy | October 22, 1857 | at the residence of Wm Miller, Edgefield County, SC |
came to his death by the act of Providence |
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| Sarah Ellen Oliver | January 2, 1904 | at J. W. Crawley's place, Chesterfield County, SC |
from the examination and testimony believe that she came to her death from natural causes. |
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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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| Unknown Infant | Unknown Infant | [no location given], Chesterfield County, SC |
[No official declaration] |
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| Ned Redfern | January 24, 1916 | at Evans Mill, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths, do say: natural causes |
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| T. G. Cooper | June 5, 1886 | at the late residence of T. G. Cooper, Spartanburg County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the said T. G. Cooper came to his death in his own house we suppose by heart disease |
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| Monday | May 9, 1833 | at Mr. John Smiths, Laurens County, SC |
do say upon their oaths that the said Negro Slave Monday, died by the visitation of God as he had no marks of violence upon him such as would lead to suppose he came to his death otherwise than in a natural way. |
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| infant | infant | May 5, 1893 | at F. L. Foys, Edgefield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say we find that deceased Infant. . .came to its death from natural causes |
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| negro child | negro child | October 11, 1857 | at T. C. Lesters, Greenville County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that she came to her death by strangling or choking with phlegm |
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| Curtis Outlaw | February 21, 1895 | at Campbell's Graveyard, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths, do say: That the said Curtis Outlaw came to his death form blood clot on the brain [????] apoplexid |
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| Loucinda Alexander | December 7, 1883 | at the house of Camel Alexander, Greenville County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the deceased came to her death by the acts of Providence unknown to us |
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| Sarilla Coleman | August 5, 1880 | at the residence of Henry Jeffares, Fairfield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that in their opinion Savilla Coleman came to her death from apoplexy or congestion of the brain. |
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| Peter | negro man | May 5, 1835 | On the plantation of Jim[?] Rochester, Union County, SC |
do say upon their oaths that the said Peter . . .died by the visitation of God in a natural way |
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| John B. Garrison | February 21, 1894 | in Clinton, Laurens Co, Laurens County, SC |
upon their oaths do say, that the said John Garrison died from mitral Insufficiency. |
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| Peyton Bird | colored | September 29, 1869 | at Edgefield CH, Edgefield County, SC |
do say as follows: That we the Jurors find that the deceased Peyton Bird came to his death by visitation of God from rupture of a blood vessel called Aorta |
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| Ann Funderburk | August 27, 1880 | at Oak Hill Grave Yard, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon oaths do say that the said Ann Funderburk died on the 14th Aug A.D. 1880 of natural causes. |
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| Leanora M. Cannon | February 25, 1879 | Spartanburg County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that ... the said Leonora M. Cannon died from the rupture of a blood vessel which caused a rush of blood into the lungs and instant death ensued |
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| Sophia Hall | March 19, 1859 | at or near Samuel Martin's residence, Anderson County, SC |
do say that no marks of violence could be seen on her body that she the said Sphia came to her death by the hand of God. |
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| Earnest Leland Smith Jr. | December 12, 1945 | at Chesterfield, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that Earnest Leland Smith, Jr. received in Chesterfield County a mortal wound by causes unknown |
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| Benjamin Bishop | November 26, 1840 | taken one mile and a half south of the [?] on the main road leading to Jones' ford on Enoree[?] river, Union County, SC |
do say upon their oaths that the said Benjamin Bishop. . . at a place in the woods near the main road. . . died by the visitation of God in a natural way |
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| J. B. Whittle | November 28, 1894 | at Mrs Whittles, Edgefield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say, that the said J.B. Whittle came to his death from natural cause |
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| L. O'Brien | August 5, 1877 | at Greenville CH, Greenville County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the said Mrs. L. B. O'Brien came to her death from a natural cuase to[?] with[?] by a disease known as paralasis of the brain |
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| Mary Whitman | at R.E. Martin's, Fairfield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say, the said Mary Whitman came to her death from Heart Disease on the 13 day of June A.D. 1887 |
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| Angeline Allen | February 27, 1899 | at A.L. Sims', Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths, do say: that we are convinced that the above Angeline Allen came to her death from natural causes |
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| Willy Hall | February 19, 1845 | at Black River in the stage road, Kershaw County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the said Willy Hall came to his death by the visitation of God |
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| Infred Padgett | July 12, 1848 | at the Joal of Edgefield, Edgefield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that Decd came to his death by the act of God |
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| Unknown infant | Unknown infant | July 14, 1879 | at Cheraw, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that , according to the evidence before them, the said infants came to this death in the house of Alie Williams on Church street in Town of Cheraw one on Saturday night the other on Sunday - both form natural causes |
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| Ranse Lowry | July 21, 1888 | at Chesterfield County, South Carolina, Chesterfield County, SC |
The finding of the Jury is that the deceased came to his death by mischance |
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| Elsie Sloan | November 17, 1889 | on the plantation of J H Sloan, Laurens County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the said Elsie Sloan came to her death by the act of God. |
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| Matt Loyd | February 24, 1891 | at Mr. Carmal cemetary near the Old Wills, Edgefield County, SC |
upon their oath do say that the said Matt Loyd died from Dropsy[?] of the heart |
