Category Archives: Hatfield-McCoy Feud

Anderson Hatfield Property in Logan County (1869-1893)

12 Friday Feb 2021

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The following land information is derived from Land Book 1866-1872, Land Book 1873-1874, Land Book 1880-1886, Land Book 1887-1892, and Land Book 1893-1899, as well as various deed books, at the Logan County Clerk’s Office in Logan, WV:

Anderson Hatfield

[Property listed in name of Levecy Hatfield in 1869, Levica Hatfield in 1870-1871, Levisa Hatfield in 1872, 1874, and 1876, Levitna Hatfield in 1873, Lavisa Hatfield in 1875, Levica Hatfield in 1889, Lovicy Hatfield in 1890-1891, Lovica Hatfield in 1892, and Levicy Hatfield in 1893.]

No property listed in land books for 1865-1867.

On October 19, 1867, George* and Nancy Hatfield of Pike County, KY, deeded 100 acres on Mate Creek to Levicy Hatfield of Logan County, WV, for five hundred dollars. The property began in the upper end of Mash Field and extended to the mouth of Meadow Branch. Witnessed by JP William Tiller on October 19, 1867.

No property listed in the land book for 1868.

1869: Magnolia Township

100 acres Mates Creek $4.20 per acre no building $420 total

55 acres Mates Creek $2.10 per acre $75 building $136.50 total

[Note: Based on the land book, both tracts were acquired in 1869 from George Hatfield of Kentucky. Also, the 55-acre total value figure did not include the value of the building. Note the actual date of purchase for one of the tracts was 1867, as per the deed.]

1870: Magnolia Township

100 acres Mates Creek $4.20 per acre no building $420 total

55 acres Mates Creek $2.10 per acre no building $136.50 total

1871-1872: Magnolia Township

100 acres Mates Creek $4.20 per acre no building $420 total

55 acres Mates Creek $2.10 per acre no building $115.50 total

[Note discrepancy in the valuation for the 55-acre tract.]

1873: Magnolia District

100 acres Mates Creek $5.25 per acre no building $441 total

55 acres Mates Creek $4.20 per acre no building $420 total

1874: Magnolia District

100 acres Mates Creek $4.20 per acre no building $420 total

55 acres Mates Creek $2.10 per acre $115.50 total

On December 29, 1874, Anderson and Lovicy Hatfield sold 200 acres to Polly Hatfield (all of Logan County) for $780 on Mates Creek. Began at the foot of the north hill at the upper end of the old Mash Field, a conditional corner between Ephraim Hatfield and Anderson Hatfield to the mouth of Meadow Branch to include all the land that George Hatfield had deeded to Lovicy Hatfield. Anderson and Lovicy signed the deed using an “x.” Justice of the peace Valentine Hatfield witnessed the deed on December 29, 1874.

[Note the original 100 acres from the 1867 deed has now become 200 acres.]

1875: Magnolia District

100 acres Mates Creek $4 per acre $50 building $400 total

55 acres Mates Creek $0.25 per acre no building $13.75 total

1876: Magnolia District

100 acres Mates Creek $4 per acre no building $400 total

55 acres Mates Creek $0.25 per acre no building $13.75

[Note: In 1876, according to the land book, Anderson Hatfield transferred 200 acres on Mates Creek worth $0.25 per acre and with a total worth of fifty dollars to Polly Hatfield; the deed is dated 1874 (see above); the 1878 land record corrected the acreage to 55 acres by order of P.A. Counts]

1877: Magnolia District

No records available for this year.

On July 2, 1877, Anderson and Lovicy Hatfield deeded 150 acres at Double Camp and Road forks of Mates Creek for $75 to Floyd Hatfield (all of Logan County). Began at the back line of the John Green survey below Double Camp, then up the main ridge to the top of the point above Road Fork, thence to John Green survey line. Anderson and Lovicy signed the deed using an “x.” Justice of the Peace Valentine Hatfield witnessed the deed on July 2, 1877.

On December 24, 1877, Anderson and Levisa Hatfield deeded 1500 acres on Grapevine Creek to James Vance, Jr. (all of Logan County) for $1400. Began near the mouth of Wolf Pen Fork, thence to the top of the mountain between Grapevine and the river, thence with mountain to dividing ridge between Grapevine and Beech Creek, thence to head of Thacker Creek, thence down ridge between Thacker and Mates Creek… References the ridge between the Wolf Pen and Mill Seat Fork. Anderson and Levicy signed the deed using an “x.” Justice Valentine Hatfield witnessed the deed on December 24, 1877.

1878: Magnolia District

Anse Hatfield owned no property in 1878.

[In 1878, as per the land book, Anderson Hatfield transferred 150 acres on Double Camp and Road Fork of Mate to Floyd Hatfield worth twenty cents per acre and with a total worth of $20. Records showed this as “transferred from Anderson Hatfield.” Note: The deed (above) shows the transfer as 1877.]

1879: Magnolia District

No records exist for this year.

1880-1881: Magnolia District

As per land book, Anse Hatfield owned no land.

On December 9, 1880, Anderson Hatfield, Lovicy Hatfield, Elias Hatfield, and Henry Mitchell deeded 200 acres on Wolf Pen Fork of Grapevine Creek to Robert Cox (all of Logan County) for $200. Anderson Hatfield, Lovicy Hatfield, Elias Hatfield, and Henry Mitchell signed the deed. Justice of the peace Valentine Hatfield witnessed the deed on December 10, 1880.

1882: Magnolia District

The Hatfield page is missing from the land book.

On January 28, 1882, Anderson and Vicy Hatfield deeded 200 acres at Lick Fork of Grapevine Creek to Johnson Hatfield (all of Logan County) for $250. Began at a large rock near the creek bank just above the garden field at the mouth of Lick Fork, thence running out to the center of the point above Lick Fork…to the head of Lick Fork and down the top of the ridge between Grapevine and Thacker Creek… Anderson and Vicy Hatfield signed the deed. Justice Valentine Hatfield witnessed the deed on January 28, 1882.

1883: Magnolia District

Records for this district are blank.

1884: Magnolia District

37 acres Tug River $1 per acre no building $37 total

2900 acres Grape Vine, Tug River $1.25 per acre $50 building $3625 total

[Note: In 1884, Anse transferred 100 acres to Daniel Christian on Grape Vine and Sandy River worth $1.25 per acre with no building and valued at $125. In 1884, Anse transferred 150 acres on Beech Creek and Sandy River to Jacob Francesco worth $1 per acre with no buildings and total value at $150. This latter tract states “by A. Hatfield by P. Mayhorn” and adds that “books don’t show A. Hatfield is owner.” Anse is not named in the 1884 deed to Jacob Francesco.]

1885: Magnolia District

37 acres Tug River $1 per acre no building $37 total

2750 acres Grapevine Creek and Tug River $1.25 per acre $50 building $3437.50 total

[In 1885, he transferred 50 acres on Sandy River to Moses Christian worth $1.25 per acre with a total worth of $62.50. In 1885, he transferred 100 acres on Grapevine Creek to Samuel Mayhorn worth $1.25 per acre with a total worth of $125.]

1886: Magnolia District

No property listed for him in 1886.

[In 1886, he transferred 500 acres on Pigeon Creek to James Ferrell worth $1.12 per acre with a total worth of $500. This note referenced him as “A. Hatfield Sr.” In 1886, he transferred 25 acres on Tug River to E.S. Murphy worth $1 per acre and a total worth of $25. In 1886, he transferred 340 acres on Beech Creek to Harrison Steel valued at $2.25 per acre and with a total worth of $765. This latter note stated: “2 years back tax and with interest; transferred from Ans Hatfield.”]

1887: Magnolia District

37 acres Tug River $1 per acre no building $37 total

2360 acres Grape Vine $1.25 per acre $50 building $2950 total

[Note: For both entries, the record reads: “one yr bk tax & interest.” In 1887, he transferred 69 acres on Sandy River worth $1 per acre and total worth of $69 to James Mounts. In 1887, he transferred with others 100 acres on Sandy River worth $1 per acre and total value of $100 to Charles R. Mounts. In 1887, he transferred 200 acres on Beech Creek to Harrison Steel worth $1 per acre and total value of $200.]

1888: Logan District

[On April 10, 1888, Lewis S. Steel sold 200 acres on Island Creek to Vicie Hatfield for $900. Deed Book L, p. 53.]

[On May 1, 1888, Anse and Levicy Hatfield agreed to a quit claim deed for mineral rights to 600 acres in the head of Island Creek to Stuart Wood for $1, and fifty cents per acre once surveyed and the title perfected. Deed Book K, p. 158-159.]

[On May 10, 1888, L.D. and A.E. Steel sold 250 acres on Island Creek to Levicy Hatfield for $500. Deed Book L, p. 52.]

1888: Magnolia District

No property listed for him, but a note in 1893 lists back taxes owed for:

Anderson Hatfield

2656 1/2 acres Grapevine Creek $3.50 per acre no building $9297.75 total

[Note: In 1888, he transferred 300 acres on Grapevine, Sandy River worth $1.25 per acre and total value of $375 to J.D. Sergeant of Philadelphia, PA. In 1888, he transferred along with others 1385 acres on Sandy River worth $1.25 per acre and total worth of $1632 to J.D. Sergeant.]

1889: Logan District

Levica Hatfield

250 acres Island Creek $1 per acre no building $250 total

200 acres Island Creek $1.40 per acre no building $280 total

1889: Magnolia District

Anderson Hatfield

2656 1/2 acres Grapevine Creek $3.50 per acre no building $9297.75 total

[On April 9, 1889, Anse and Levisy Hatfield deed to James E. Price, trustee, for $825 the mineral rights of 821 acres on Island Creek. Deed Book 47, p. 67-70.]

[On September 6, 1889, Anse Hatfield deeded all of the timber on his Island Creek property to the Little Kanawha Lumber Company for $352. References Anse having the right to put in a grist mill at the splash dam. Deed Book O, p. 410-411.]

1890-1891: Logan District

Lovicy Hatfield

250 acres Island Creek $1 per acre no building $250 total

200 acres Island Creek $1.40 per acre no building $280 total

[On November 21, 1891, Anse and Levicy Hatfield deeded to Stuart Wood and J.A. Nighbert for one dollar a right of way for splashing timber at the 821 acres. References Conley Bottom, the mouth of Dempsey Branch, and Conley’s Creek. Deed Book M, p. 189.]

1890-1891: Magnolia District

Anderson Hatfield

2656 1/2 acres Grapevine Creek $3.50 per acre no building $9297.75 total

1892: Logan District

Lovica Hatfield

250 acres Island Creek $2 per acre no building $500 total

200 acres Island Creek $5 per acre $500 building $1000 total

[On June 18, 1892, Anse and Levicy deeded to G.R. Buskirk for $2 his timber on 400 acres. Deed Book Q, p. 370.]

1892: Magnolia District

Anderson Hatfield

2656 1/2 acres Grapevine Creek $3.50 per acre no building $9297.75 total

1893-1894: Logan District

Levicy Hatfield

250 acres Island Creek $2 per acre no building $500 total

200 acres Island creek $5 per acre $500 building $1000 total

1893: Magnolia District

Anderson Hatfield

2656 1/2 acres Grapevine Creek $3.50 per acre no building $9297.75 total

[Note: In 1893, the tract at Grapevine Creek was noted: “entered with 5 yrs back taxes and interest.”]

1894: Magnolia District

Anderson Hatfield

2656 1/2 acres Grapevine Creek $3.50 per acre no building $9298 total

*George Hatfield (1804-1883), son of Ephraim and Anna (Musick) Hatfield; father of “Preacher Anse” Hatfield.

NOTE: Many discrepancies exist between the land books and deeds for Anderson Hatfield.

Perry A. Cline Deed to Anderson Hatfield (1877)

12 Friday Feb 2021

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P.A. Cline to Anderson Hatfield, 5000 acres (23 March 1877), Deed Book __, page __, Logan County Clerk’s Office, Logan, WV.
P.A. Cline to Anderson Hatfield, 5000 acres (23 March 1877), Deed Book __, page __, Logan County Clerk’s Office, Logan, WV.

Ephraim Hatfield Property in Logan County (1865-1885)

02 Tuesday Feb 2021

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The following land information is derived from Land Book 1866-1872, Land Book 1873-1874, Land Book 1880-1886, and Land Book 1887-1892 at the Logan County Clerk’s Office in Logan, WV:

Ephraim Hatfield

1865-1867: Magnolia Township

70 acres Murphys Branch, Mate Creek $0.50 per acre no building $35 total

125 acres Meadors Branch, Mate Creek $0.50 per acre no building $62.50 total

115 acres Mate Creek $6.00 $200 building $690 total

45 acres Double Camp $2.00 no building $90 total

20 acres South Side, Mate Creek [added in 1871, five years back tax]

24 acres Straight Fork $3.00 per acre no building $72 total

84 acres Beech Creek $5.00 per acre no building $420 total

1868: Magnolia Township

The book contains no entries for Magnolia Township)

1869-1872: Magnolia Township

70 acres John Murpheys Branch, Mate Creek $0.52 per acre no building $36.75 total

[125-acre tract was gone by 1869, bestowed to Nancy Varney, who had 125 acres on “Meadow” Branch worth $0.52 1/2 in 1869]

115 acres Mate Creek $6.30 per acre $200 building $724.50 total

45 acres Double Camp $2.10 per acre no building $94.50 total

20 acres South Side, Mate Creek $0.52 1/2 per acre no building $10.50 total

24 acres Straight Fork $3.15 per acre no building $75.60 total

84 acres Beech Creek $5.25 per acre no building $441 total

1873: Magnolia District

70 acres John Murpheys Branch, Mate Creek $0.52 per acre no building $36.75 total

[Note: The above building was likely noted in error.]

113 acres Mate Creek $6.30 per acre $200 building $724.50 total

[Note: The 115-acre tract is likely noted as 113 acres in error.]

45 acres Double Camp $2.10 per acre no building $94.50 total

20 acres South Side, Mate Creek $0.52 1/2 per acre no building $10.50 total

24 acres Straight Fork $3.15 per acre no building $75.60 total

84 acres Beech Creek $5.25 per acre no building $441 total

1874: Magnolia District

115 acres Mates Creek $6.30 per acre $200 building $724.50 total

45 acres Double Camp $2.10 per acre no building $94.50 total

20 acres S Side Mate Creek $0.52 per acre 1/2 no building $10.50 total

24 acres Trough? Fork $0.15? per acre no building $75.60 total

[Note: He transferred the 84-acre tract to Valentine Hatfield]

1875: Magnolia District

115 acres Mates Creek $4.00 per acre $45 building $460 total

45 acres Double Camp of Mates Creek $0.25 per acre no building $11.25 total

20 acres Double Camp $0.25 per acre no building $5.00 total

24 acres Strat Fork $0.25 per acre no building $6.00 total

1876: Magnolia District

115 acres Mate Creek $0.25 per acre no building $11.25 total

45 acres Double Camp Mates Creek $0.25 per acre no building $5.00 total

20 acres Double Camp Mates Creek $0.25 per acre no building $6.00 total

24 acres Straight Fork $0.25 per acre no building $18.75 total

1877: Magnolia District

Records are missing for this year.

1878: Magnolia District

15 acres Mates Creek $4.00 per acre $25 building $60 total

20 acres Double Camp Branch Mate Creek $0.25 per acre no building $5.00 total

24 acres Strate Fork Mate Creek $0.25 per acre no building $6.00 total

368 acres Mates Creek $0.10 per acre no building $36.80 total

[Note: In 1878, Ephraim transferred one tract of 100 acres on Mate Creek worth four dollars per acre containing a $25 building with a total worth of $400 to Smith and Patterson Hatfield. He also transferred one tract of 50 acres on Nashes Buck? Hollow Double Camp worth twenty-five cents per acre with no building and total worth of $12.50 to Floyd Hatfield.]

1879: Magnolia District

Records are missing for this year.

1880: Magnolia District

15 acres Mates Creek $4.00 per acre $25 building $60 total

20 acres Double Camp Branch Mate Creek $0.25 per acre no building $5.00 total

24 acres Strate Fork Mate Creek $0.25 per acre no building $6.00 total

68 acres Mates Creek $0.10 per acre no building $36.80 total

[Note: In 1880, Ephraim transferred 300 acres from the 368-acre tract to Ellison Hatfield. Note also that he died before the 1880 census.]

1881: Magnolia District

15 acres Mates Creek $4.00 per acre $25 building $375.00? total

20 acres Double Camp Branch Mate Creek $0.25 per acre no building $99.00 total

24 acres Strate Fork Mate Creek $0.25 per acre no building $200.00

68 acres Mates Creek $0.25 per acre no building $109.00

[Note errors in total valuation for his property.]

1882: Magnolia District

The Hatfield page is missing from records.

1883: Magnolia District

Records are missing for this year.

1884: Magnolia District

15 acres Mates Creek $5.00 per acre $40 building $75 total

20 acres Double Camp Branch $1 per acre no building $20 total

68 acres Mates Creek $1 per acre no building $68 total

[Note: The 50-acre tract was listed under Ephraim, Sr. and was transferred from Floyd Hatfield. The 114-acre tract was transferred from a commissioner.]

1885: Magnolia District

15 acres Mates Creek $5 per acre $40 building $75 total

20 acres Double Camp Branch, Mates Creek $1 per acre no building $20 total

68 acres Mates Creek $1 per acre no building $68 total

1886-1888: Magnolia District

No property is listed for 1886, 1887, and 1888.

Nancy E. Hatfield Memories, Part 2 (1974)

02 Saturday Jan 2021

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Howard B. Lee, former Attorney General of West Virginia, provided this account of Nancy Hatfield (widow of Cap) in the early 1970s:

Our next stop was at the home of Nancy Elizabeth, the same home where I visited with her and Cap during my campaign. For nearly three hours I asked questions and listened to that remarkable woman recount many of her experiences as the wife of America’s most celebrated feudist.

Nancy Elizabeth’s home also held a number of guns, pistols, and other relics of the feud days. But the most interesting item was Cap’s bullet-proof, steel breastplate, designed to cover the entire front half of his body from his beck to his lower abdomen.

“Mrs. Hatfield,” I said, “judging from the three bullet marks on it, this breastplate was a great protection to Cap; but what was to prevent an enemy from shooting him in the back?” Her eyes flashed as she replied: “Mr. Lee, Cap Hatfield never turned his back on an enemy or a friend.”

“I have read two stories, Mrs. Hatfield, each purporting to give the true cause of the feud: One book stated that it was the result of a dispute between a McCoy and a Hatfield over the ownership of a hog. Another book said that it grew out of the seduction of a McCoy girl by Johnson Hatfield, oldest son of Devil Anse. Is either one of these stories true?”

“No, neither story is true,” she replied. “The McCoys lived on the Kentucky side of Tug River, and the Hatfields lived on the West Virginia side. Hogs don’t swim rivers. I never heard the girl story until I read it in a book, written long after the feud was over. Both stories are pure fiction.”

“The truth is,” she continued, “in the fall of 1882, in an election-day fight between Ellison Hatfield, a younger brother of Devil Anse, and three McCoy brothers, Ellison was shot and knifed. He died two days later. In retaliation, Devil Anse and his clan captured and shot the three McCoy brothers. It was these four senseless killings that started the feud.”

In answer to my inquiry, Nancy Elizabeth said: “Yes, there had been ‘bad blood’ between the two families since the Civil War. In that struggle the Hatfields were ‘rebels’,–loyal to their State, Virginia. Devil Anse organized and was the captain of a company of Confederate sympathizers called the ‘Logan Wildcats’. They were recruited for local defense; but they left the county long enough to take part in the battle of Scary, fought along the banks of the Kanawha River, a few miles below Charleston.

“The McCoys, and their mountain neighbors, were pro-Union; and to protect their region against invasion by ‘Virginia rebels’, they organized a military company called ‘Home Guards’. There were occasional border clashes between the two forces, with casualties on both sides. The war ended only seventeen years before the feud began, and the bitterness still existed in the minds of the older generation, and they passed it on to their children. It was the old sectional and political hatreds that sparked the fight between Ellison Hatfield and the McCoy brothers.”

Nancy Elizabeth declined to estimate the number killed on either side of the feud.

“It was a horrible nightmare to me,” she said. “Sometimes, for months, Cap never spent a night in our house. He and Devil Anse, with others, slept in the nearby woods to guard our homes against surprise attacks. At times, too, we women and our children slept in hidden shelters in the forests.

“But these assaults were not one-sided affairs. The Hatfields crossed the Tug and killed McCoys. It was a savage war of extermination, regardless of age or sex. Finally, to get our children to a safer locality, we Hatfields left Tug River, crossed the mountains, and settled here on Island Creek, a tributary of the Guyandotte River.

“No, there was no formal truce ending hostilities. After a decade or more of fighting and killing, both sides grew tired and quit. The McCoys stayed in Kentucky and the Hatfields kept to West Virginia. The feud was really over a long time before either side realized it.

“Yes, Kentucky offered a large reward for the capture of Devil Anse and Cap. The governor of West Virginia refused to extradite them because, said he, ‘their trials in Kentucky would be nothing more than legalized lynchings’. It was then that Kentucky’s governor offered the reward for their capture–‘dead or alive’. Three attempts were made by reward seekers to capture them.

“Dan Cunningham, a Charleston detective, with two Cincinnati detectives, made the first attempt. They came through Kentucky, and crossed Tug River in the night; but the Hatfields soon captured them. A justice of the peace sentenced them to 90 days in Logan County jail for disturbing hte peace. When released, they were told to follow the Guyandotte River to Huntington, a distance of 60 miles, and ‘not to come back’.

“Next, a man named Phillips led two raids from Kentucky into Hatfield territory. In the first, he captured ‘Cottontop’ Mounts, a relative and supporter of the Hatfields, and took him to Pikeville, Kentucky, where he was hanged. But the second foray met with disaster at the ‘Battle of the Grapevine’. Phillips, and some of his followers escaped into Kentucky, but some where buried where they fell.

“This was the last attempt of the reward seekers. However, Kentucky never withdrew the reward offer, and that is why Devil Anse and Cap were always alarmed and on the alert.”

Source: West Virginia Women (Richwood, WV: Jim Comstock, 1974), p. 151-152

Nancy E. Hatfield Memories, Part 1 (1974)

28 Monday Dec 2020

Posted by in Cemeteries, Hatfield-McCoy Feud, Logan, Women's History

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Howard B. Lee, former Attorney General of West Virginia, provided this account of Nancy Hatfield (widow of Cap) in the early 1970s:

HATFIELD WOMEN.

Over the years, much has been written about the male members of the Hatfield clan who took part in that early orgy of blood-letting–the Hatfield-McCoy feud. But nothing has been said concerning the indomitable wives of that stalwart breed of men.

My purpose is to pay a richly deserved tribute to one of those pioneer women–the late Nancy Elizabeth, wife of William Anderson Hatfield, common known “Cap,” second son of Devil Anse, and the most deadly killer of the feud.

More than 30 years have passed since I last talked with her; but I still regard Nancy Elizabeth Hatfield as the most remarkable and unforgettable woman of the mountains.

In the spring of 1924, I was a candidate in the primary election for the Republican nomination for attorney general, and I wanted the Hatfield influence. Devil Anse had died in 1921, and his mantle of leadership of the clan had fallen to his oldest living son, Cap–a power in Logan County politics.

I had met Cap, casually, in 1912, but I had not seen him since that meeting. But his sister, Mrs. Betty Caldwell, and her husband, lived in my county of Mercer, and were among my political supporters. To pave the way for my later meeting with Cap, I had Mrs. Caldwell write and ask him to support me.

Later, when campaigning in the City of Logan, I engaged a taxi to take me the few miles up Island Creek to Cap’s home. The car stopped suddenly and the driver pointed to a comfortable-looking farm house on the other side of the creek and said:

“That’s Cap’s home, and that’s Cap out there by the barn.”

I told him to return for me in two hours.

Cap saw me get out of the car, and, as I crossed the creek on an old-fashioned footlog. I saw him fold his arms across his chest and slip his right hand under his coat. Later, I noticed a large pistol holstered under his left arm. Even in that late day, Cap took no chances with strangers. When I got within speaking distance, I told him my name, and that I had come to solicit his support in my campaign for attorney general. He gave me a hearty handclasp, and said:

“My sister, Mrs. Caldwell, wrote us about you. But, let’s go to the house, my wife is the politician in our family.”

Cap was reluctant to commit himself “so early.” But Nancy Elizabeth thought otherwise. Finally, Cap agreed to support me; and, with that point settled, we visited until my taxi returned.

Meanwhile, with Cap’s approval, Nancy Elizabeth gave me the accompanying, heretofore unpublished photograph of the Devil Anse Clan. In 1963 I rephotographed it and sent a print to Willis Hatfield (number 22 in picture), only survivor of Devil Anse, who made the identification. Nancy Elizabeth is number 16, and the baby in her lap is her son, Robert Elliott, born April 29, 1897. Therefore, the photograph must have been made late in 1897, or early in 1898.

A few months after Cap’s death (August 22, 1930), the West Virginia newspaper publishers and editors held their annual convention in Logan. I was invited to address the group at a morning session. That same day, Sheriff Joe Hatfield and his brother, Tennis, younger brothers of Cap, gave an ox-roast dinner for the visiting newsmen and their guests. The picnic was held on a narrow strip of bottom land, on Island Creek, a half-mile below the old home of Devil Anse.

I ate lunch with Nancy Elizabeth and her sister-in-law, Betty Caldwell. After lunch, at the suggestion of Mrs. Caldwell, we three drove up the creek to the old home of her father–Devil Anse. It was a large, two-story, frame structure (since destroyed by fire, then occupied by Tennis Hatfield, youngest son of Devil Anse).

The most interesting feature in the old home was Devil Anse’s gun-room. Hanging along its walls were a dozen, or more, high-powered rifles, and a number of large caliber pistols, ranging from teh earliest to the latest models. “The older guns,” said Nancy Elizabeth, “were used in the feud.”

As we returned, we stopped at the family cemetery that clings uncertainly to the steep mountainside, overlooking the picnic grounds. There, among the mountains he loved and ruled, old Devil Anse found peace. A life-size statue of the old man, carved in Italy (from a photograph) of the finest Carrara marble, stands in majestic solitude above his grave. On its four-foot high granite base are carved the names of his wife and their thirteen children.

Source: West Virginia Women (Richwood, WV: Jim Comstock, 1974), p. 149-151

L. Moore v. Asa McCoy (1870)

18 Wednesday Nov 2020

Posted by in Big Sandy Valley, Hatfield-McCoy Feud, Matewan

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Promissory note by Asa McCoy, Joseph Rutherford, and John Goosling(?) to John Buchanan and M.B. Lawson for seventy-five dollars, Logan County, VA, December 1862
Debt case, 1870-1871
Debt case, 1870-1871. References E. Rutherford as sheriff of Logan County.

Early Mahon: Banjoist in Mingo County, WV

20 Saturday Jun 2020

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BANJO GUY COPYRIGHT

Early Mahon (1884-1969), son of Plyant and Vicie (Hatfield) Mahon. Plyant Mahon was a participant of the Hatfield-McCoy Feud. Early was the grandson of Valentine “Wall” Hatfield. The family holds the original photo.

Perry A. Cline v. James Vance, Sr. et al. (1876)

15 Wednesday Apr 2020

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IMG_7901

James Vance to Perry A. Cline, 1874-1875.

IMG_7898

James Vance promissory note to Perry A. Cline, 1 February 1875.

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Perry A. Cline petition, 8 May 1876.

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Perry A. Cline petition, 8 May 1876.

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Perry A. Cline petition, 8 May 1876.

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Perry A. Cline petition, 8 May 1876.

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Perry A. Cline petition, 8 May 1876.

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Perry A. Cline affidavit, 8 May 1876.

Joe Hatfield for Sheriff of Logan County, WV (1927)

08 Saturday Feb 2020

Posted by in Hatfield-McCoy Feud, Logan

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From the Logan Banner of Logan, WV, comes this bit of political history dated December 13, 1927:

J.D. Hatfield for Sheriff 12.13.1927 1

J.D. Hatfield Announces Candidacy For Sheriff

Native Son Will Ask for Republican Nomination in May Primary–That He Would Enter Race Was Expected, and That He Possesses Unusual Political Strength Is Undisputed

Joe Hatfield will be a candidate for the Republican nomination for sheriff in the primary election May 29.

That announcement will doubtless arouse tremendous interest but will create little surprise. For many months the public has expected that at a seasonable time his hat would be quietly tossed into the ring and remain there until the voters had registered their approval or disapproval. Having determined upon a course of action, he will go straight ahead.

Born and reared in Logan county, in love with its every stream and mountain, hoping and expecting to spend the remainder of his life amid the rugged hills to which his ancestors were lured by fate a century ago, he says he has long had an ambition to serve as sheriff of the county beloved of his kith and kin.

The statement that he was born in this county calls for this qualification: Joe Davis Hatfield was born at Delorme, on Tug River, then in Logan county but now in Mingo. That was 44 years ago. Except for a period at Huntington Business College and a year (1903-4) at Marshall College, he has lived hereabouts and his life is an open book. He attended country school on Island Creek and had some experience as a relief teacher, though at no time did he ever consider that his vocation. He is a brother of Sheriff Tennis Hatfield and a son of the late Captain Anse Hatfield and Lovisa Chafin Hatfield–their fourth youngest child, Tennis being the youngest.

Joe was married in 1917 to Grace Ferrell of a Mingo county family and is the father of two children, Evaline Marie, aged eight, and Joe D., Jr., aged five.

His fraternal affiliation are limited to the Elks and the Modern Woodmen of America.

In commenting on his announcement, Mr. Hatfield said, “I’m not running for the office solely for the honor and rewards it might bring, but also because I believe I can fill it in a way that my children and friends will be proud of. I want to give the people a square deal for their sake and mine–why should a man in an important office like that want to do less? I expect to be nominated, but if not I’ll do my part for the man who beats me; and when nominated I’ll plan to wage an active and winning campaign. Besides my experience and observation have given me some ideas about what a sheriff can and should do and I’ll probably discuss these with friends and perhaps in the papers at the proper time.”

Republican Stronghold

It is not The Banner’s purpose to espouse any man’s candidacy before the primary, yet there is no hesitancy in saying here and now that Joe Hatfield will be regarded by voters of all parties as a formidable candidate for the nomination. Quiet, suave, friendly, neat and attractive in appearance, on intimate terms with hundreds and even thousands of voters in the county, the scion of a prominent pioneer family, his strength is obvious to the humblest citizens as well as those trained in politics. And while on the subject of politics, let it be recalled that Stirrat, Hatfield’s precinct, was the banner Republican precinct in the county in 1926. The Republican vote varied from 310 to 312 for the different candidates; the Democratic vote from 54 to 58. The precinct won a flag for the largest registration of Republican voters before the primary and won a silver cup for the largest Republican vote in the election, the prizes having been offered by the county committee. Incidentally, that feat was credited largely to Joe Hatfield and brought the first prophecy the writer heard that he would be the next sheriff of Logan county.

Dils and Smith v. William McCoy (1865)

14 Tuesday Jan 2020

Posted by in Big Sandy Valley, Hatfield-McCoy Feud, Pikeville

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Promissory note between William McCoy and Dils and Smith (1861). Pike County, KY.

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Page 1 (1865)

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Summons for William McCoy (1865). Pike County, KY.

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Summons for William McCoy (1865). Pike County, KY.

NOTE: This case is most definitely unrelated to the Hatfield-McCoy Feud. I included it here because of the involvement of John Dils. The William McCoy involved in the case is likely the brother to Sallie (McCoy) McCoy, wife of Randal McCoy.

Hatfield-McCoy Feud: Schools in 1882

23 Tuesday Jul 2019

Posted by in Hatfield-McCoy Feud, Matewan

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From “The Rise of Education and the Decline of Feudal Tendencies in the Tug River Valley of West Virginia and Kentucky in Relation to the Hatfield and McCoy Feud” by Homer Claude McCoy (1950):

The following list of school houses are given to determine the location of schools at the time of the feud. Most of the information obtained in regard to the existence of schools and their teachers have been received from interviews. These people were actual students at the schools or had brothers or sisters who went to school there. This information has been verified when possible from different interviews.

Mate Creek School: Mate Creek School was located about a mile up Mate Creek from Matewan which is located at its mouth. It was a log structure and had only one room. The schoolhouse was used during the feud as a prison to retain the three McCoy boys in. David Ross was the teacher of the school during the time of the feud, 1882, just a few days after the boys were held there, and there is a possibility that there was school there before the incident and that David Ross was the teacher.

Upper Mate Creek School: It is believed that there was a school at the head of Mate Creek, but the information is not strong enough to be substantiated.

Coon Branch School: Coon Branch School was located in Kentucky across from the site of Matewan. The teacher of the Coon Branch School was Ambrose Guzlin, and was attending in 1887.

Anderson Ferrell School: This school was located on Anderson Ferrell’s farm a mile below Matewan and came into use when the Mate Creek School was closed about 1883. The teacher of this school was Johnnie Rutherford.

Hatfield School: This school was located on the farm of Elias Hatfield in a hollow behind his home. It was a log structure and came into use when the railroad made it necessary to eliminate the Anderson Ferrell School.

Delorme School: The Delorme school was located near the home of Devil Anse, it was believed, for Charles Carpenter mentioned as a schoolteacher taught in that neighborhood. It is doubtful that there was a school there, for no definite record has been found. Charles Carpenter was said to be a teacher in that locality.

The Dial’s Branch School: This school is not substantiated by any strong evidence as being in operation during the early days of the feud, but was known to exist in the latter days of the feud.

Head of Blackberry School: This was at what is known today as Ransom. This school was some distance (about 15 miles from the mouth of Blackberry). Bob Williams taught school there. Dr. H.D. Hatfield attended school at this school.

Kate Ray who was a teacher at the Elias Hatfield School in 1893, says that she went to school there and when she graduated from the fifth grade she took an examination and taught the next year. She says the examination was not hard, and all the teachers gathered at Williamson. Other teachers that taught there were Albert Simpkins, Dr. Rutherford, Lee Rutherford. Scott Justice taught school at Mud Fork. Mike Clingenpeel was another teacher at Mud Fork.

Mrs. Ray stated:

I went to my first school on Mud Fork in 1888. I was only four years old. They didn’t mind for I didn’t give them any trouble. I learned a little at that age. Lee Curry was the teacher that year. He made improvements in the log school. His first improvement was to put backs on the seats. We did not have any desks or any blackboards. Dick and Will Bachtel also taught school at Mud Fork. They came from Jackson County. They stayed at Sam Jackson’s. They paid about $8.00 a month for board. Scott Justice, now a resident of Huntington, West Virginia, taught school on Mud Fork. So did Mack Clingenpeel. Every one liked Mack. He could explain the lessons so well.

When I was in the fifth grade I went to the Hatfield School below Matewan. When I graduated, I took the teachers examination and taught the next year there at the school on Elias Hatfield’s farm about the year 1895.

Sources:

Derived from these interviews by Mr. McCoy:

Ella Hatfield McCoy interview (she “lived on Blackberry Creek during the time of the feud”) (c.1949)

W.A. McCoy interview (c.1949)

Kate Ray interview (c.1949)

Hatfield-McCoy Feud: Ellison Hatfield Grave at Newtown, WV (2019)

17 Wednesday Jul 2019

Posted by in Cemeteries, Hatfield-McCoy Feud

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Up this way to the old Hatfield cemetery. Newtown, Mingo County, WV. Photo by Mom. 6 July 2019.

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Entering the old Hatfield cemetery. It was a bit weedy! Photo by Mom. 6 July 2019.

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I mowed some of the graves and made sure to place flowers at the grave of Ellison Hatfield. Photo by Mom. 6 July 2019

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Leaving the cemetery, you can return to the paved road by going left over the bridge or right through Mate Creek. 6 July 2019

Hatfield-McCoy Feud: Tom “Guerilla” Mitchell grave at Meador, WV (2019)

14 Sunday Jul 2019

Posted by in Hatfield-McCoy Feud, Meador

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Heading up to the cemetery. What a rush! 12 July 2019

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This cemetery has several names, most commonly Meador, Varney, or Steele Cemetery. 12 July 2019

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Tom Mitchell is buried to the left just as you enter the cemetery. I made sure to place flowers at his grave. 12 July 2019

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Tom Mitchell (Feb 1865-10/20/1935), son of Sarah Jane Mitchell, married Nancy Varney and fathered at least twelve children. He was a key participant in the Hatfield-McCoy Feud.