The feud between the Hatfields and the McCoys has become an enduring part of our national folklore. This feud, which ended over a century ago, was anything but a hillbilly joke. The McCoy family alone lost 6 children to the fighting, and it ended only after the United States Supreme Court intervened.
Both clans were part of the first wave of pioneers to settle along the Tug Fork River, the Hatfields on the West Virginia side and the McCoys in Kentucky. Communication within each clan was generally by "backwoods wireless telegraph," a collection of unusual animal sounds and birdcalls signifying everything from the arrival of a stranger to the calling of a family gathering. Patriarchs William Anderson ("Devil Anse") Hatfield and Randolph ("Ran’l") McCoy were both prosperous farmers who were heavily involved in the manufacture and sale of illegal whiskey. Devil Anse and his wife Levicy had 13 children, Johnse being the oldest son. Randolph, married to his cousin Sarah, produced 16 children that included 9 sons and 6 daughters, among them the ill-fated Roseanna.
According to the legend, the feud first began around the time of the Civil War. Men of both families heeded the call to war and fought for the Confederacy except for one lone McCoy…Asa Harmon. Seeing that the war wasn’t going so well for the Confederates, he enlisted in the Union Army in 1864, only to break his leg and be discharged. He became the first casualty of the feud when he was shot and killed by the Logan Wildcats, (a local "home guard" group sent by members of the Hatfield family specifically Devil Anse Hatfield).
Although peace was never natural along the Tug’s bank, with the passing of time the Hatfields and McCoys forgot the tensions and injustices of the war years until 1878. The McCoys, upset when a court decision over a pig went against them ambushed a group of Hatfields. No one was killed at that time, but a few days later Staton Hatfield fired on McCoy brothers, Sam and Paris. Sam became injured and in turn shot and killed Staton. Surprisingly, a Hatfield jury presided over by "Wall" Hatfield, acquitted Sam McCoy on the grounds of self-defense. The Hatfields felt that justice had not been served while the McCoys were enraged that Sam had even stood trial. Nothing seemed to appease either family, and it wouldn’t take much more for the seething frustrations to burst into all-out war.
It was at the 1880 spring elections in Pike County, Kentucky (McCoy territory), that the next occasion for hostilities occurred. Resentment between the two families was at an all time high. Johnse Hatfield descended on these McCoy festivities looking for romance and found it very quickly in Roseanna. The two wandered off from the celebrations talking through the afternoon and into the night. Upon returning to the crowd, they discovered that their families had returned to their homes. Roseanna, fearing her father’s anger decided to go home with her new love. She did this knowing that her father would never forgive her for stepping into the home of her father’s archenemy. She also knew that Devil Anse Hatfield would never allow his son to marry a McCoy. After a short-lived stay at the Hatfield homestead, Roseanna went to live with her Aunt Betty, where Johnse made regular visits. Roseanna’s brothers decided that they would put an end to this, and engineered an ambush. In one of the most daring acts in feud history, Roseanna sped though the night on horseback to warn the Hatfields. Fearing continued assaults by the McCoy brothers, Johnse stopped visiting Roseanna. Shunned by her own family and pregnant with a Hatfield child, Roseanna was left alone. The fate of her child is uncertain. One source indicates that Roseanna gave birth to a daughter who soon fell ill and died at eight months of age. Another indicates that she contracted measles and miscarried her child. To add to her heartbreak, Johnse married Roseanna’s 16 year-old cousin Nancy McCoy. Lost in depression and despair, Roseanna found her health gradually slipping away. Despite all assurances that nothing was physically wrong, she finally passed away at the age of thirty.
Over the next few years McCoys killed Hatfields and Hatfields killed McCoys. Fighting escalated to the point where federal intervention was required. The governor of West Virginia called up his National Guard, as did his counterpart in Kentucky. The resulting arrests and trials received national attention, especially when one of the guilty Hatfields was publicly hung. The feud ended in 1891.
The two patriarchs lived long, rather prosperous lives. Randolph McCoy operated a lucrative ferry business until his death at almost 90. Anse started a logging operation, found religion, and lived to see his nephew Henry become governor of West Virginia.
One source is quoted as saying, "Nothing like the Hatfield-McCoy feud has ever happened in American life. Nor could it happen today." Or could it?
As you may know, the Hatfield and McCoy clans were very large. Devil Anse and Levicy Hatfield had 13 children. Randolph and Sarah McCoy had 16. They were the first group of pioneers to settle in this part of the country. The land was deeply forested, so their homes were easily, but crudely built of wood. Draw a picture of what you think one of their homes might have looked light. Bear in mind that there was no electricity, no running water, and up to 18 people ultimately had to live in this home.
MATCH UP THE FOLLOWING:
| Home of the Hatfields | father of Roseanna |
| Ol’ Randall | West Virginia |
| Home of the McCoys | father of Johnse |
| Johnse McCoy | daughter |
| Devil Anse | oldest Hatfield son |
| Roseanna | Kentucky |
If you were a child in one of these clans, what do you think your everyday life would have been like? What did you wear, eat, sleep on - how many bedrooms were in your house for you and you 13 - 16 brothers and sisters to share - did you go to school, and if so, what did you study?
RESPOND TO THESE TWO PARAGRAPHS:
1. In June 2000, the Hatfields and McCoys had a joint family
reunion. Approximately 2,000 descendants arrived in Pikeville, Kentucky to learn
about their shared history. Sharon Stockhausen, author, consultant, educator,
and speaker commented on this event saying that we could learn a lot from these
two families. "They teach us that we don’t have to give up or deny our
stories, our history, or our identity in order to move on… We can appreciate
what’s happened in the past. We can even keep the legacy going through the generations.
But we don’t have to do what’s always been done."
2. Explain why you would agree or disagree with the following statement. "Nothing like the Hatfield McCoy feud has ever happened in American life. Nor could it happen today."