re: Official history Channel Hatfield's & McCoy's mini series thread

I am still on team McCoy. Still not feeling a lotta love for them on here. Biggest douchebag out of both clans is Jim Vance. He is the shite stirrer in nearly every confrontation. Plus I think he is in love with milkeye.

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1888 is when the excrement hits the air conditioning. I do like how Cap has become this acolyte of Jim Vance, though I do think the series is shifting responsibility from Devil Anse to Jim Vance. Come on, the guy's name was Devil Anse. He wasn't a peaceable guy, reluctantly drawn into the feud.

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The TV series is taking some liberties with the true facts of this story, no doubt. Anderson Hatfield had total disregard for the law, unless he could corrupt it to his advantage. It's been questioned as to how he acquired any timber rights, as well as the land he cut timber from. He seemed to just take whatever he wanted during a time when there was no more than fledgling government and law enforcment in the backwoods of the new state of West Virginia, and while everyone else was off fighting the war. About the time all this began, Anse had many enemies both in WV and KY.

Randall McCoy was poor and illiterate, and that was passed on to his asinine sons. He had a tendency to whine and complain about all the wrongs he suffered. He had little to nothing, including the resources to fight back when wronged. He foolishly looked to the authorities in Kentucky to take up his cause when all this began. By the time it ended he had lost most of his children, wife, and what little property he had. He still lived into his 80s, but died destitute.

Those were hard and desperate times in a remote part of the country. Add pride and downright meanness to the above, and it made for good feuding.

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When did the Mccoy boy begin to work for the Hatfields? He was supposedly working under a cover.

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isn't this the same kid who betrayed the McCoys by voting with the Hatfields at the pig trial?

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Yes it was. Selkirk McCoy was a nephew of Randall's wife Sally McCoy (Randall and Sally were 1st cousins...which knocks off a few branches of the family tree). Selkirk, along with his two sons, worked on Anse's timber crew from 1872 on. The 1870 federal census showed him living in Pike County, KY and owning no property, but by 1880 he owned 120 acres of land and was listed living next-door to Ellison Hatfield in WV. Selkirk was loyal to Anse for economic reasons, as were most all of the Hatfields.

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Selkirk was loyal to Anse for economic reasons, as were most all of the Hatfields.

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yeah ole johnsy forgot all about the poon when daddy hatfield made him choose.

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Thank you for those links - great reading.

Anyone know if there is a definitive book about the feud?

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You're welcome BC.

As far as balanced perspectives, here are a couple of the "go to" books on the subject:

Feud, Hatfields, McCoys, And Social Change in Appalachia, 1860-1900
The Hatfields and the McCoys

Here is a more recent one I've heard is also very good:

Blood Feud

'Hatfield & McCoys' ratings stay high as fans choose sides

On Tuesday, the second installment of the miniseries about the 19th century family feud starring Kevin Costner and Bill Paxton drew 13.1 million total viewers, according to Nielsen

LINK

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I am still on team McCoy

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Not me, I think team McCoy boys brought this on themselves all but one of them killed an unarmed man in front of everyone, mountain justice you reap what
you sow, you got to harden your heart.

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I am still on team McCoy

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Me too I'm ready to see some Hatfields die tonight

omg another history ch reality show...great lake warriors?

West Virginians gonna cross into KY and burn all their couches.