Which mccoy married a hatfield

Strangely, if not for the war and its divisions, the tragedy of the Hatfields, the McCoys and Roseanna might never have been. The men here doted on their skills at guns and fights, their spit-the-devil-in-the-eye fearlessness, their huge families, their freedom. For them, government barely existed. Courts were few and police protection almost nonexistent, with public servants dreading to venture into the hollows and backwoods near today's Matewan, W. Rugged outdoorsmen, often intelligent and usually illiterate, they made whiskey, logged timber, fished and hunted.

And they excelled at their crafts. Many were such uncanny marksmen that the story is told of a shy mountain boy who put a bullseye through a coin thrown into the air without any of those present having seen him even draw his gun. The stuff of legend? Likely, but indicative at least of the tenor of the time and region. With romance in mind, both Kentuckians and West Virginians frequently crossed the Tug in search of sweethearts, courted their choices and, as young couples, turned their relatives into relations.

With so few families in the vicinity, there was limited variety. Cousins often married cousins. Hatfields married McCoys.

And as babies swelled their ranks, all was well with the growing clans. On either side of the river, men stepped forward to assume the mantle of leadership for their kin. In Kentucky, that mantle went to Randolph Randall, Ole Ran'l McCoy, a tall, broad-shouldered man of property with gray eyes, full beard and serious, almost morbid, bent of personality. Married to his cousin Sarah, the couple produced 16 children, one dead at birth but a surviving brood that included nine fighting-age sons and six daughters, among them the ill-fated Roseanna.

Described by a sympathetic author as "a kindly old man," he nonetheless seldom laughed and lacked the natural charisma of his West Virginia counterpart. Ruling the West Virginia bank was Capt. William Anderson Devil Anse Hatfield, also tall, gray-eyed and bearded, with a striking resemblance to Stonewall Jackson.

Gifted with an innate talent for tall tales, a love of pranks and almost clownish sense of humor, the former Confederate officer was a legend in his own time, thanks to his incredible marksmanship and legendary feats. Methodically pivoting from one position to another and with unerring accuracy, he held them at bay in the ravine below until the band, under cover of darkness, turned tail and silently stole away. Once described as a man who had "never killed anyone just for the pleasure of it," it's told that at some point in his youth, Devil Anse came across a sleeping bear and kicked it to consciousness, apparently for the sport of it.

He then stood guard over it, without food, drink or ammunition, through two days and a night. When worried family and friends rescued him, he insisted the food go first to his dogs, then shot the animal in its hiding place and vowed, according to some accounts, that after such an adventure he was "ready to face the devil. Like McCoy a prolific father, Hatfield and his wife Levicy filled their home with 13 children, four daughters and nine sons.

It was his oldest, Johnson Johnse , who would become Roseanna McCoy's object of love, lust and broken dreams. Yet the senior Hatfield and McCoy were not, by nature, totally at odds. At the heart of it, each was a "simple, hospitable mountaineer. But reality was bitter. With West Virginia's admittance to the Union in , Devil Anse Hatfield realized that, as a Southern sympathizer, he, his family and property were in real danger.

Now, in the name of home defense, he formed the Logan Wildcats, which as one of the most feared guerrilla bands to patrol the Tug's banks, too often forgot its honorable objective and cashed in on the less-than-honorable spoils of war. In a tit-for-tat aggression, guerrillas from both sides seized and stole hogs and horses and hides. Always, in the midst of the fracas, McCoys and Hatfields took turns as victims and attackers.

And always, the clans' hostilities grew to increasingly dangerous new heights. A Union veteran who had waited two years to enlist, Harmon McCoy, younger brother of Ole Ran'l, had defied his family's loyalties by joining Northern forces as a private for 12 months.

Suffering a broken leg and discharged on Christmas Eve , he returned home to a chilly welcome and a chilly warning from Devil Anse's ruthless uncle, Jim Vance, that he could expect a visit from Devil Anse's Wildcats. Frightened by gunshots as he drew water from his well, Harmon hid in a nearby cave, supplied with food and necessities each day by his slave, Pete.

But Harmon's fate was sealed. His tormentors followed Pete's tracks in the snow, discovered the ailing Harmon and shot him dead. Later, after finding the Wildcats' leader had been confined to his bed, the guilt turned squarely on Vance and, according to some accounts, "Wheeler" Wilson, the real gunman.

But in an area where Harmon's military service was an act of disloyalty, even his family believed the man had brought his murder on himself. Even so, it was a frightening reminder of the brutality that the families' hostilities could bring to life. With the passing of time, Hatfields and McCoys forgot the tensions and injustices of the war years. Again, the families intermarried. Even the patriarchs, with Ole Ran'l considerably older, added to their expansive families.

In West Virginia, times were good. Devil Anse's logging enterprise prospered and his crew grew to 30 men. Through a lawsuit against Perry Cline, he gained 5, acres along Grapevine Creek, turning him into one of Logan County's wealthiest men. If not, see our friends at Ancestry DNA.

Roseanna is 11 degrees from Charlie Brown , 33 degrees from Daniel Bouyjou-Cordier , 25 degrees from Tom Derrick , 22 degrees from Edward Dunlop , 22 degrees from Charlie Green , 23 degrees from John Lavarack , 24 degrees from Philippe Leclerc de Hauteclocque , 32 degrees from Dorie Miller , 19 degrees from Bernard Montgomery , 30 degrees from Witold Pilecki , 23 degrees from Vivian Statham and 18 degrees from P Kreutzer on our single family tree. Login to find your connection.

Roseanna McCoy - Roseanna McCoy. Daughter of Randolph McCoy Sr. Sister of James H. Wife of Johnson Hatfield — married [date unknown] [location unknown].

Died in Kentucky, United States. Profile manager : Caitlin Edwards [ send private message ]. McCoy into McCoy Clear duplicate. Sponsored Search. Is Roseanna your ancestor? Please don't go away! Login to collaborate or comment , or contact the profile manager, or ask our community of genealogists a question. Is Jonse your ancestor? Please don't go away! Login to collaborate or comment , or contact the profile manager, or ask our community of genealogists a question.

Sponsored Search by Ancestry. Search Records. DNA Connections It may be possible to confirm family relationships with Jonse by comparing test results with other carriers of his Y-chromosome or his mother's mitochondrial DNA. Images: 2 Johnson Hatfield. Johnson "Johnse" Hatfield.

Who were the children of Johnse and Nancy McCoy? Aug 10, First Name. Last Name. Places where they lived. Comments: 6 [hide] [show]. Login to post a comment. Mel Gilbert Lambert. Thanks for the wonderful work on this profile.