Daily AncestorVisitation of God
Visitation of God was a coroner's verdict meaning a sudden natural death with no sign of violence, foul play or a known disease.
Died by the visitation of God was a verdict an inquest jury could return when someone died suddenly, often from what we would call a stroke or heart attack, and no one was to blame.
It was a legal formula, not a religious statement about the person. English coroners' juries used it widely, and it also appears in American inquests of the 1800s. In English law the same phrase also described a person mute from natural causes rather than by choice.
As seen in a recordCoroner's inquest record, 1800s
Inquest held on the body of Thos. Lee. Verdict: died by the visitation of God.
Sources
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Daily Ancestor. "Visitation of God." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/causes-of-death/visitation-of-god. Last checked 2026-10-01.