McCoy, Selkirk b. 5 Mar 1830 Pike County, Kentucky, USA d. 25 Jun 1908: WETZEL Extended Family & More

Wetzel Ancestry - A Tree of Life

1830 - 1908 (78 years)

Name	McCoy, Selkirk [1, 2]
Birth	5 Mar 1830	Pike County, Kentucky, USA [1, 3]
Gender	Male
Residence	Between 1860 and 1870	Pike County, Kentucky, USA [1]
	Districts 1 & 6
Census	1870	Pike County, Kentucky, USA [2]
	lived in Pike Co, owned no property.
Census	1880 [2]
	lived on Mates Creek, next-door neighbor to Ellison Hatfield and owned 120 acres of land.
feud	no entry yet [4]
Residence	Between 1880 and 1900	Magnolia, Mingo, West Virginia, USA [1]
feud1	4 Mar 1888	Louisville, Jefferson, Kentucky, USA
	writ of habeas corpus. Valentine Hatfield, Selkirk and L. D. McCoy, Plant, Doc and Sam Mahon, Thomas Chambers, Moses Christian and Andy Varney, remanding them to custody, the case of Andy Varney being the test.
	20250131GHLn- noch Judge Barr- Andy Varney, Hatfields & McCoys, Habeus Corpus in KY The Courier-Journal Louisville, Kentucky • Sun, Mar 4, 1888 p5 CLIPPED BY wetzupdoc • 31 January 2025 • THE THE COURIER JOURNAL: IN FAVOR OF KENTUCKY. Judge Barr Decides That West Virginia Cannot Get Her Hatfields. Text of the Opinion Which Reviews the Law Bearing On the Subject. The Case To Be Taken Tot the Supreme Court of the United States. A Probability That the Prisoners Will Remain Here Until After Further Action. ANXIOUS TO RETURN TO PIKE. Judge Barr yesterday morning rendered his decision in the habeas corpus cases of Valentine Hatfield, Selkirk and L. D. McCoy, Plant, Doc and Sam Mahon, Thomas Chambers, Moses Christian and Andy Varney, remanding them to custody, the case of Andy Varney being the test. There was a general surprise at the decision among the large number gathered in the court-room to hear the result. Hon. Eustace Gibson and exGov. Knntt and Attorney General Hardin counsel for the petitioners and the State of Kentucky, were present, as were also the prisoners themselves. The decision, which was oral and occupied about a haif hour in delivery, was as follows: IN THE MATTER OF ANDREW VARNEY. -Aoner Justice, Jailer of Pike county, having made his return to the writ of habeas corpus issued herein, on the day of February. 1888, and Andrew Varrey having filed his response thereto and produced evidence. the Court certifies the following to be the facts as admitted by the parties or proven to the Court's satisfaction, viz: The petitioner, Varney, together with nineteen other persons, as at the September term, 1864, of the Circuit Court of Pike county, Ky., indicted by the Grand Jury impaneled in and by said Court for willful murder alleged to have been committed by them in said county. Varney was at the time and bad always been and stall is a citizen of West Virginia aud a resident of Logan county in said State, "His Excellenev, S. B. Buckner, Governor of the State of Kentucky, on the 10th day of September, 1887, made upon His Excellency, E. Wilson, Governor of the State of Virginia, requisition under the seal of the Commonwealth, demanding of him, the Governor of West Virginia, the arrest and rendition of the said Andrew Varney and the others in said indictment to the State of Kentucky to answer the same, claiming that the said Andrew Varney and others had fled as fugitives from justice from said State. Said requisition was accompanied by copy of the indictment therein referred to, which was certited by the Governor of Kentucky to to authentic. In said requisition be appointed oue Frank Phillips agent of the State of Ken• tucky to receive said Varuey aud the others and bring them to the State of Kentucky. "This requisition was not acted upon by the Governor of West Virginia, because, as he stated, of the want of an affidavit in conformity with the laws of West Virginia. An aftidavit was then made by said Frank Phillips in compliance with said request, and on the 8th of October, 1887, was sent by His Excellency Gov. Buckner to His Excellency Gov. Wilson. There was no further correspondence between the said Governors in regard to said requisition until the 9th of Jauu1888. In the meantime the Hon, Henry J. Walker, Secretary of state of West Virginia, by letter dated November 21. 1887, wrote to P. A. Cline, who was Depury Jailer of Pike county, in reply to a letuP of inquiry from him, and notifed him that the said requisition of the Governor of Keutucky would be bunored except as to Elias Hatfield and Andy Varney, petitioners berein, and that warrants wowd be issued for their arrest upon the receipt of $54, his tees for issuing the same. 1 he reason given for not issuing warrants for Elias Hatfield and Andrew Varney was because they were not guilty in the Governor's opinion, from the evidence which had been presented to him. SENT THE PROPER FEES. "Subsequently, by letter dated December 18, 1887, Frank Phillips, the person appointed as agent aforesaid, wrote to his Excellency, Governor W ikon, inclosing $15 to pay fees of the Secretary of State, and requesting he should issue his warrants for the arrest of Anderson Hatfield. Johnson Hatfield, Capt. Hatfield, Daniel Whitt and Andy McCoy, and that be sent these warrants to biz (Phillips) at P. keville. In this letter be intormed the Governor Lust he did not care for, and he did pot intend to interrupt, said Elias Hatfield, and Andy Varney, and that if they wanted any of the other persons meationed in said requisition he would send for the warrants for their arrest. This money ($15) was returned to Phillips, and the order for the warrants countermandou by Governor Wilson, because, as he states, from information subsequently obtained, to believed the requisition and expected warrants would de used, not to secure peblic justice, but to extort money from the accused. "His Excellency, Governor Buckner, on the 9th day of January. 1868, wrote to His Excellency, Governor Wilson, a letter of inquiry in regard to his action under the requisition; this letter of inquiry was replied to January 21, 1688, by Gov. ernor Wison. (See copies of said letters of Walker, Secretary of State, Phillips, Gov. Buckver and Gov. Wilson, copies of which will be annexed hereto, marked 1, 2, 5, 4.) No warrants had been issued by the Governor of West Virginia for the arrest of any persons mentioned in the said requisitions on the 9th of January, or before or since that time. Frank Phillips, with twenty-five or thirty armed men, went from Kentucky across into West Virginia, and with force and arms arrested the petitioner, Andy Varney, on January 9. 1888.1 and Against his will and by force brought him to the town of Pikeville, in the State of Kentucky, and on the lith of January, 1888, placed bun in the jail Pike county in said town, which was then in charge of Abner Justice, Jailer of said county, and on the next day, January 18, 1888, while thus confined in said jail in. said" town, be was served with bench warrant and arrested by the deputy sheriff of said county; the bench warrant under which be was arrested was issued from the Clerk's office of the Criminal Court of Pike county, which court then bad jurisdiction to issue bench warrants and try persons charged under the aforesaid Indictments. When be was arrested Phillips was asked by Varney by what authority he did so, and he said that no was State's agent to arrest him and take him to "Pike, and that he was authorized by the Governor of West Virginia to make the arrest. SURRENDER AND RETURN. "His Excellency Gov. Wilson did under the seal of West Virginia demand of His Excellency Gov. Buckner the surrender and return to the State of West Virginia of the said Varney and the others who had been seized by force and arms and carried away to Pike county by said His Phillips and others, which request was declined by Excel lency Gov, Buckner on the 4th of February, 1888. See copies of the requisition of Gov, Wilson and the reply thereto of Gov. Buckner, marked 5 and 6.1 "The question presented to the Court on this requisition is much harrower than the discussion of counsel would indicate. "As between independent States, it is now the recognized law settled by the Supreme Court that there is no duty upon one independent sovereignty to surrender to another a refugee from justice, Whatever obligation the courts would recognize must arise from treaties between such sovereignties. Thus they have recognized between Great Britain and the United States the provision of extradition as prescribed by the treaty of 1842 between the two Governments, as the law which shall govern; and it is an obligation which the courts of the United States will recognize and will not allow a person extradited to be tried for any other crime than the one for which he was dited. That conclusion is arrived at upon the construction which the court has given the treaty of 1849 between the United States and Great Britain and the Acta of Congress made to provide for extradition. As between the States of the Union there has been in the reasoning of some variety of views. However, I think all the authorities conour in the proposition that the right of asylum of refugee who has fled from one State to another charged with crime is not a personal right: that the refugee, when returned by whatever means he may be returned to the State from which he has fled and wherein he is charged with crime, can not plead in answer to the indictment for the crime that he has not been extradited according to law. There is in one case at least a very important statement made by very, great jurist, Judge Gibson, that in such a case where a man is brought from one State to another, though he has not the right of asylum himsell, when mand is made by the State, by reason of comity between the States, he should be surrendered because he was brought from tne State without the forms of law and contrary to the wal of the Stat, which has still sufficient sovereignty to make the demand and have it recognized matter of comity. The case which in here presented perhaps has never arisen before, at least no case has been called to my attention and have seen on the subject, and, so far as I know, the question has never been adjudicated by any State Court or Federal tribunal. NOT BEYOND ITS JURISDICTION. "But, whatever may be the law on this subject: this proceeding this court can not consider it because it is beyond its jurisdiction. In matters of contest where there in a controversy between States, by the express provision of the Federal Constitution the jurisdiction is in the Supreme Court, and in babess corpus proceedings the Aet of Congress limits the and consideration of babeas corpuses to the question; person Jail by authority of the State, whether he is there detained and deprived of his liberty in violation of the Constitution of the United States or the laws enacted thereunder: so that the inquiry here is narrowed to the question whether or not this petitioner was when the babeas corpus reached him in custody of the Jailer of Pike county there in violation of the Constitution of the United States. The right of extradition of a refugee charged with crime who had fled from one State to anoth - er arises from a provision of the Federal Constitution which provides: A person charged in any State with treason, felony or other crimes, who shall flee from justice and be found in another State, shall on demand of the executive authority of be the State removed from which he -fled, be delivered up to to toe State having jurisdiction the crime.' Now, it is the recognized law as determined by the courts that the laws of Congress passed under this provision provide how this shall be done and the evidence to be presented from one Executive to another and wherever extradition is invoked it is the settled law that the courts of the country, both State and Federal, can revise the action of the Governor who honors the requisition in so tar as to say whether the requisition which has been made and the action of the Governor thereunder, is in conformity with the Constitution and the laws made thereunder. "It is also equally the law that there is no process known to the court by which a Governor can be compelled to exercise his discretion in the matter, if there be a discretion. If he acts, his action is subject to revision of the courts; if he does not, the Supreme Court has, in effect, said whatever the obligation on the Exeentive to act, the courts cannot enforce it. It is, however, claimed that the only lawful mode by which criminal who bas fled from one State to another can be extradited is according to she provisions of the Federal Constitution, and the terins of the acts of Congress made there, under and also according to the provisions of any State statute which may be and can be made, constitutionally, in aid of the Federal provision The question which is quite important in the consideration of this matter is, what that process is. I mean by that what kind of propose? Is it a Federal process or a State process, and if a State process, which one of the States? Recently in case in Californis the Circuit Court decided that when the agent of a State had the person who was being extradited surrendered to him, be was Federal officer, and that his action was under the Federal Constitution; and, therefore, that court decided a revision of •the authority by which be held the refugee must be done by the Federal Court and by the Federal courts alone. That conclusion was overruled by the Supreme Court and they held that both the State and Federal courts could issue a babeas corpus and consider the question whether or not an alleged refugee was unlawfully detained. THE SETTLED LAW. I take it that it is now the settled law that this agent, and in this case, Phillips, bad be gotten these men would have gotten them by reason of the process of the State of West Virginia, and would have heen assisted in the arrest by the warrant of the State of West Virginia and surrender to the agent of the State of Kentucky, would have received the men by process of the State of West Virginia, and thereafter he would have heid them by a process which was under the Federal Constitution, and would have re• tained them. In no event, however, was that process a procesf of the State of Kentucky. It was a means provided by the Federal Constituton by which a refugee could be extradited from the State of West Virginia to the State of Kentucky, and it was only when the refugee was brought within the territory of the State of Kentucky that a Kentucky process could reach him, and his detention woul have been unlawful and illegal unless after he came to Kentucky he had been arrested by reguiar process from Kentucky authorities. However, it is suggested that these persons are detained in vi. laton of the Federal Consutution. The argument is that the only process by which they could be extradited was the process as provided by the Federal Constitution, that that was in vogue in so far as to give this court jurisdiction to revise the action taken under it. Now, it is quite clear to my mind fo n the statement already read, that, as a matter of fact, no action was taken by the authorities of West Virginia under the requisition; that Phillips, though appointed agent of the State of Kentucky, never acted in any capacity as agent. It is true that he so represented himseif to the petitioner and the others, perhaps, as having authority to arrest him from the Governor of W st Virginia, and as being the agent of the Stale of Kentucky, but that was a false statement, and, in point of fact, there was no process issued under the Federal Constitution to extradite this man. He is here without authority of law, aid, as I think, without any color of authority, Phillips represented himseif as having authority so that this court can not consider the question before it now and revise the action of Phillips, because Le was not the agent of the State of Kentucky, and because he acted under requisition in no way whatever. **We must therefore consider the other branch of the case, and that is the broad proposition that since the Fourteenth Amendment a citizen, or resident, or a sojourner, having been indicted for crine in another State, cannot be extradited from the State where he happens to be, whether citizen or sojourner, except by due process prescribed by the Federal Constitution, and unless he is thus extradited he is within the term of the provision of the Federal Coastitution. "it is quite clear to my mind that the only legal way of arresting a refugee under such circumstances is according to the Constitution of the United States and the laws made thereunder and such laws as the State may have made in aid thereof. This being the case, it is argved that due process of law as required by the Fourteen amendment under such circumstances is, Ar the mode preseribed by the Constitution and the laws of the United States to extradite the refugee; and second, after he is extradited the process by which he is taken into custody: and this being so, that this peutioner is deprived of his liberty without due process of law. "Now the Fourteenth Amendment is in these words: 'Section 1. All persons born or natural• ized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of tue United States; nor shalt any State deprive any person of life, liberty or property, without due process of law.' NOT THE GRANT OF AN ASYLUM. "You will observe that this provision of the Constitution is not the grant of an asylum or the affirmative grant of any right to the citizen. The purpose is very different; the intent is very different. It is intended to be a limitation upon the power of the State A similar provision in Pith Amendment to the Federal Constitution had limited the powers of the Federal Government, It was not conferring an individual right which he theretofore did not nave, assuming that before the Fourteenth Amendment he had no individual right of asylum himself, bnt only his State may have had the right of having him returned. This was not conferring upon any person in the United States, whether a ciuzen or otner person residing here, an individual right, but it was a limitation upon the powers of the different States. In that view, the petitinner can not be said to be deprived of his liberty without due process of law, and therefore in violation of the Federal Constitution, unless he was deprived of his liberty without due process of law by the State of Kentucky. Now, while it is true that this process of extradition could only be invoked by the State of Kentucky, and, as the law exists, it is the only lawful process by which a man can be extradited, and while it is true tha. in this case that process has not been invoked, and that this man has not been arrested and extradited under any process, but in violation of law, by force and by he has not been so extradited by the State of Kentucky, or by an officer of the State, or by authority of the State. He has not been deprived of his liberty, therefore, under the Fourteenta Amendment. was very much inclined, when this case was first presented, to the view presented that under the circumstances under which this prisoner was brought to Kentucky, being unlawfully arrested and kidnaped, that he was entitled as a matter of constitutional right, before he could be detained in the jail of Pike county, to have both the process by which he could be extradited and the process by which he could be arrested after he was extradited, to be a due process of law. more critical examination has satisfied me that the Fourteenth Amendment must be confined by its very, construction (and that coustructiou strengthened by the history of the words which have existed since Magna Onarta, and have been used as being synonymous with laws of the land) By the very wording of the Constitution, the State may deprive the mhibition party of his liberty, else it is not within the of that instrument. I am therefore of the opinion that this peritioner must be remanded to the custody of the State authorities. At the conclusion of the reading of the decision, Mr. Gibson arose and asked that the letter of Gov. Buckner to Gov, Wilson, stating that Philips was an agent of the State of Kentucky, which letter had been read by Gov. Knott during the argument, should go in with the Court's statements of the facts in the case, that it might be presented to the higher court in case of an appeal, Discussion on this point arose between counsel, and Judge Barr finally stated that it would be in order for them to make out for his consideration a list of papers which they desired to go before the higher court, though his record of facts, he said, would stand as read. Mr. Gibson next asked the court what disposition would be made of the prisoners pending an appeal, and Judge Barr read the law, showing that they should he remanded to the custody of the authorities from whica they were taken by the writ, or should remain in the custody of the court beiore which the writ was returned. WANTED BAIL. Mr. Gibson spoke at length asking that the prisoners be allowed to give bail tor their appearance, stating that the West time Virginia would surrender them at proper to the Kentucky authorities. General Hardin objected on the basis of the decision just delivered, showing that the court nad no jurisdiction to try the case itself, and less jurisdiction to allow bail to men indicted for murder, which the State courts could not allow. Judge Barr sustained this view of the case, saying that his court had no jurisdiotion, and that the offense charged was not bailable. Mr. Gibson then said that he would be unwilling for the prisoners to be returned to the Pike, county jail unless Judge Barr should issue an order showing that bail allowed by the Judge of Pike county would not be considered in the nature of contempt toward this court. The question: of removing the prisoners again provoked considerable discussion, and Judge Barr informed counsel that he would meet them at o'clock to ascertain whether they bad agreed as to the disposition of the prisoners. At that hour no agreement bad been reached and the prisoners are still in the city. Judge Barr stated last night that the prisoners would remain here until after further action concerning the case in his court tomorrow. PREPARING AN APPEAL. • Mr. Gibson was also seen at the Gault House, and said: "We are now preparing an order of appeal in the case, but Governor Wilson will be here to morrow night, and I would prefer not to state the grounds of the appeal until after consulting with him. The prisoners will remain in the city until after further action in court Monday. "The prisoners are, some of them, very anxious to be taken back to Pike county, he continued, "and I believe they have been tampered with in some way and false hopes held out to them as to bail- being furnished for them. I do not wish them to be sent back there to remain in for I don't believe they would be safe there." The case will now go on appeal to the United States Circuit Court, and from there probably to the Supreme Court. Attorney General Hardin shares in the desire that the case shall go to the Supreme Court, that the novel and unsettled issues involved may be adjudicated. The prisoners are anxious te be taken back to Pike county, saying that they have not necessary clothing and comforts which their families could furnish there. O'RILEY'S CASE. The Charge Against the Er- Post• master of Leitehfield, On Trial In the United States Court. Immediately after Judge Barr ! had rendered his in the Hatfield-McCoy case yesterday morning in the Federal Court, the suit against Daniel O' Riley, charged with postoffice frauds, was taken up and occupied the balance of the day. There are more than forty witnesses in the case, and it will occupy the time of the court for two or more days. The defendant, who was postmaster of Litchfield, Grayson county, from July, 1878, to December, 1885, is charged with falsifying the returns of canceliation of stamps during his term of office to the extent of about $2,600 or $2,700, The case was presented at the last term of the Federal Court, but District Attorney Wickliffe then entered nol. pros, on account of Judge Barr's ruling, excluding certain records from the Postoftice Department which the District Attorney considered material to the case. The Grand Jury, at this term of court, found a new indictment. The only witnesses introduced yesterday were Postoffice Inspector E. F. Finley and Mr. Keheler, Disbursing Agent of the Treasury in the Postoffice Department. The latter detailed at length the cancellation of stamps, as evidenced by the official records, made by O' Riley while postmaster, and those made by Mr. J. R. Barton, his successor, who now holds the office. It was shown that the work of that nature of the present postmaster exceeded that of 0' Riley by an average of nearly $500 per quarter. The case will probably consume all of tomorrow and will hardly go to the jury before Tuesday. A WELL- KNOWN BOY DYING. • Little Lieutenant" Fritz Schmidt Nearing His End. Gathered about the death-bed of a ten• year-old boy on First street last night were 1-Chief of Police Whallen, ex-Lieut. of Police Hugh Bell, Officer Charley Hickey and Bill Duff, of the Fire Department. None of those mentioned were related to the dying boy, but they were all his warm friends, and were visibly affected. The little sufferer was Fritz Schmidt, known throughout the city as 44 the little Lieuten• ant." and his life was fast ebbing away.. 1 ¡No boy in the city, perhaps, is better known than little Fritz. ambition to be member of the police force or the Fire Departinent, and on no recent public parade of either ever took place thatthe familiar figure of " the little Lietenant" was not near its head. His friends of the police force had supplied him with full lieutenant's uniform and hat, and at every parade of the force last sping and summer he took the lead upon horseback or in a dog-cart. Col. Whallen and the members of the force grew very foud of the little fellow, and last night, when he was told that death was near, he sent for his friends to say good-bye. He will hardly live until sunrise this morning, as he was constantly sinking all night. Fritz's father is a baker on First street, between Jefferson and Green, and the little boy has been of much assistance to him. Some time ago Fritz was affected with a tumor in the head, and ten physicians have treated him, but without avail. He lost the sight of one of his eyes, and finally bloodpoisoning and paralysis set in. He has continued to sink, and last night was. probably his last upon earth. Demise of an Old Citizen, Mr. Jeremiah Montz, the venerable father of Mr. W. E. Monte, Marshal of the Chancery Court, died at his residence, Second street, near Chestnut, early yesterday morning of paralysis. He was seized with a shock some time ago, and was supposed for time to be beyond danger, but within the past few days he had gradually grown weaker until his death. Mr. Montz was a native of Pennsylvania, and came to Louisville forty years ago to engage in the grocery business. With the advent of the last Administration, however, he became a United States storekeeper, and until the time of his paralytic stroke, five weeks ago, was one of the most active men in the service. The funeral will take place at 8:80 o'clock this afternoon from Christ church, Second street, near Green, of which Mr. Monte was for many years a devout member, and the interment will occur in Cave Hill cemetery. Caught On An Old Charge. Domnie Higgins, 4 young man living in the East End, was arrested early yesterday morning by Officers Guilds and Eaton, and placed in -street station. Higgins was arrested for cutting Pat McLaughlin, a wellknown character living at the corner of Fulton and Preston streets, in a quarrel which occurred about six months ago. Higgins evaded the authorities at the time by guing over to Jeffersonville. Friday night he returned home to his brother's, on Marshall and Campbell streets, and was captured by the policemen. Civil Service Examination. An examination of applicants for the Classified Departmental Service at Wash• ington will be held in the United States Court-room in this city. next Saturday, commencing at 9 o'clock L. M. Applicants for examination should write to the Secretary of the Uhited States Civil-service Commission, at Washington, for application blanks. For the Cyclone Sufferers. Mr. Thomas O. Dunlop will give an art entertainment in the large Liederkranz Hall on Thursday, April 5, for the benefit of the Mount Vernon cycione sufferers. The subject will be a journey through Switzerland and Italy, with nearly a hundred illustrations. Tickets will be ready for sale this week. Prudence! Prudence! In medication, 10 aught else, prude 305 should b: our guide. Yet thousands cast 18 to the winds. Every cos nostrum finca its patrons, he medical umpir ea of every la school have eir gulls, Every change in tie gamut of moug is rung is time at least notes beit g fun ished by tie In LA, P./ to the nuny ised imposof the day stand Hostetter's stomach Bitters, now in its third decade of ppalarity, approved and recon by pi y by the press of many lends, soughs and prized by -invalids everywhere. It is an ascertained specific for and preventive of me a lal eases; Panic indigestion, liver complaint and constibutton, checks the growth of u natism and neuralgi a peerless invizorant and useful dinretie Nervous people batedt be.
		Hatfield-McCoy WV_KY stay News_CourierJournal18880304_5 20250131GHLn- noch Judge Barr- Andy Varney, Hatfields & McCoys, Habeus Corpus in KY The Courier-Journal Louisville, Kentucky • Sun, Mar 4, 1888 p5 CLIPPED BY wetzupdoc • 31 January 2025 • THE THE COURIER JOURNAL: IN FAVOR OF KENTUCKY. Judge Barr Decides That West Virginia Cannot Get Her Hatfields. Text of the Opinion Which Reviews the Law…
photo	1892
	age 61
		McCoy, Kirk age-61-1892 HistoryCollection 20230526GHLn- https://historycollection.com/18-photos-folkloric-feud-hatfields-mccoys/2/ Selkirk McCoy at age 61, 1892. 18 Photos of the Feud Between the Hatfields and McCoys Jacob Miller - July 1, 2017
FSID	LWYV-L31
Name	Kirk
Death	25 Jun 1908
	age 78
Person ID	I59532	WETZEL-SPRING

Father	McCoy, Asa Harmon, b. Abt 1809, Virginia, USA d. 1884, Logan County, West Virginia, USA (Age 75 years)
Relationship	natural
Mother	Burress, Eleanor, b. Abt 1807, Russell County, Virginia, USA d. Oct 1884, Logan, Logan, West Virginia, USA (Age 77 years)
Relationship	natural
Married	4 Jan 1832	Pike County, Kentucky, USA [5]
Marriage	14 Sep 1832	Pike County, Kentucky, USA [5]
Family ID	F40990	Group Sheet \| Family Chart

Family Williamson, Louisa, b. Abt 1838, Kentucky, USA

Marriage Sep 1850 Pike County, Kentucky, USA [1]

9- -1850 McCoy, Selkirk -- Williamson, Louisa. By her grd. S. of Asa.

Children

	1. McCoy, Lorenzo Dow, b. Abt 1855, Virginia, USA [Father: natural] [Mother: natural]
	2. McCoy, Dixie, b. Abt 1866, West Virginia, USA [Father: natural] [Mother: natural]
	3. McCoy, Tennissee, b. Abt 1867, West Virginia, USA [Father: natural] [Mother: natural]
	4. McCoy, Wayne, b. 28 Aug 1883, Logan County, West Virginia, USA d. 10 Dec 1956, Matheny, Wyoming, West Virginia, USA (Age 73 years) [Father: natural] [Mother: natural]
	5. McCoy, Furbey, b. May 1881, West Virginia, USA [Father: natural] [Mother: natural]
	6. McCoy, Ellender, b. Abt 1857, Virginia, USA [Father: natural] [Mother: natural]
	7. McCoy, Albert, b. Abt 1860, Kentucky, USA [Father: natural] [Mother: natural]
	8. McCoy, Missouri, b. 19 Mar 1856, Logan County, West Virginia, USA [Father: natural] [Mother: natural]
	9. McCoy, Minnesota, b. Abt Sep 1869, Virginia, USA [Father: natural] [Mother: natural]
	10. McCoy, Ross, b. Abt 1877, West Virginia, USA d. 13 Sep 1946, McDowell County, West Virginia, USA (Age 69 years) [Father: natural] [Mother: natural]
	11. McCoy, Arch T., b. 29 Jun 1873, Matewan, Mingo, West Virginia, USA d. 15 Mar 1948, McDowell County, West Virginia, USA (Age 74 years) [Father: natural] [Mother: natural]
	12. McCoy, Alifair, b. Abt 1873, West Virginia, USA [Father: natural] [Mother: natural]
	13. McCoy, Robert E L, b. Abt 1865, Virginia, USA [Father: natural] [Mother: natural]
	14. McCoy, Rosetta, b. 14 May 1854, Logan County, West Virginia, USA [Father: natural] [Mother: natural]

Family ID F40995 Group Sheet | Family Chart

Event Map

	Birth - 5 Mar 1830 - Pike County, Kentucky, USA
	Marriage - Sep 1850 - Pike County, Kentucky, USA
	Residence - Districts 1 & 6 - Between 1860 and 1870 - Pike County, Kentucky, USA
	Census - lived in Pike Co, owned no property. - 1870 - Pike County, Kentucky, USA
	Residence - Between 1880 and 1900 - Magnolia, Mingo, West Virginia, USA
	feud1 - writ of habeas corpus. Valentine Hatfield, Selkirk and L. D. McCoy, Plant, Doc and Sam Mahon, Thomas Chambers, Moses Christian and Andy Varney, remanding them to custody, the case of Andy Varney being the test. - 4 Mar 1888 - Louisville, Jefferson, Kentucky, USA

= Link to Google Earth

Photos » Slide Show		McCoy, Kirk age-61-1892 HistoryCollection 20230526GHLn- https://historycollection.com/18-photos-folkloric-feud-hatfields-mccoys/2/ Selkirk McCoy at age 61, 1892. 18 Photos of the Feud Between the Hatfields and McCoys Jacob Miller - July 1, 2017
		King, Dean- The Feud- Hatfields & McCoys 20340426GHLn- Pasted from Source Notes, all Media fields empty. Media not yet associated with any person! I remember going through this book in Kallstadt, exerpting. This work is all lost in this file; it must be in an earlier version... p.77, hardcover: "When Cap was 10, out of curiosity, he had picked up a rock and used it to hammer a…
		Hatfield-McCoy WV_KY stay News_CourierJournal18880304_5 20250131GHLn- noch Judge Barr- Andy Varney, Hatfields & McCoys, Habeus Corpus in KY The Courier-Journal Louisville, Kentucky • Sun, Mar 4, 1888 p5 CLIPPED BY wetzupdoc • 31 January 2025 • THE THE COURIER JOURNAL: IN FAVOR OF KENTUCKY. Judge Barr Decides That West Virginia Cannot Get Her Hatfields. Text of the Opinion Which Reviews the Law…

Sources

[S394] Ancestry.com, Public Member Trees, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2006;), Database online., Skinner/Schinzel-Ahlemeyer/Haines Tree J_Ahlemeyer.
Record for Selkirk McCoy
[S1339] Altina L. Waller, Feud: Hatfields, McCoys, and Social Change in Appalachia, 1860-1900, (Name: University of North Carolina Press;), 64.
"... Staton was the son of Ranel McCoy's cousin Nancy,... lived on the West Virginia side of the Tug, in the same neighborhood as the Hatfield brothers. His closest friends were Floyd Hatfield and Anse's brother Ellison, each of whom was married to one of Staton's sisters. "Selkirk, along with his two sons, had worked on Anse's timber crew since 1872." "The second key person in the (hog) trial was a juror, Selkirk McCoy. A nephew of Aunt Sally McCoy... he voted against his uncle Ranel. ... his economic connection to Devil Anse. Selkirk, along with his two sons, had worked on Anse's timber crew since 1872."
[S1327] Otis K. Rice, The Hatfields & the McCoys (Rice), (Name: University Press of Kentucky, 1982;), inside back cover.
(110) facts

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Mary Elizabeth "Betty" McCoy
‹ Back to McCoy surname

Mary Elizabeth "Betty" McCoy's Geni Profile

Mary Elizabeth "Betty" McCoy (Blankenship) (1827 - 1915)
Birth: 1827
Pike County, Kentucky, United States
Death: 1915 (87-88)
Pike County, Kentucky, United States
parents: Obediah Blankenship and Mary "Polly" Blankenship
spouse Allen C. McCoy
children Sylvester McCoy;
Esther Easter McCoy;
Jane McCoy;
Henderson McCoy;
Hannes McCoy
Leonidas McCoy;
Larkin McCoy;
Marrietta McCoy;
Reuben Mc Coy;
Ellison Mc Coy and
Martha Mc Coy« less
Sister of Ezekiel Blankenship;
Hiram Blankenship;
Henry Blankenship;
John W Blankenship, Sr;
Conley Blankenship;
Presley Blankenship;
William Blankenship;
James Albert Blankenship and
Elizabeth Blankenship« less

Managed by: Charles Douglass Brown
Last Updated: February 26, 2025

Betty McCoy in Kentucky Deaths, 1900 - 1999
view all 23
Immediate Family

Timeline
showing 1-15 of 15 events | reverse order
1827
1827
Birth of Mary Elizabeth "Betty" McCoy
Pike County, Kentucky, United States
1841
September 9, 1841
Age 14
Marriage of Allen McCoy and Mary Elizabeth Blankenship
Pike, Kentucky, USA
1843
1843
Age 16
Birth of Sylvester McCoy
Pike County, Kentucky, United States
1844
June 1844
Age 17
Birth of Esther Easter McCoy
Kentucky, United States
1847
1847
Age 20
Birth of Jane McCoy
Kentucky, United States
1848
1848
Age 21
Birth of Henderson McCoy
Kentucky, United States
1850
1850
Age 23
Birth of Hannes McCoy
Kentucky, United States
1852
1852
Age 25
Birth of Leonidas McCoy
Kentucky, United States
1854
1854
Age 27
Birth of Larkin McCoy
Kentucky, United States
1856
1856
Age 29
Birth of Marrietta McCoy
Kentucky, United States
1860
1860
Age 33
Birth of Reuben Mc Coy
Kentucky
1864
1864
Age 37
Birth of Ellison Mc Coy
Kentucky
1867
1867
Age 40
Birth of Martha Mc Coy
Kentucky
1870
1870
Age 43
resided on 1870 Residence Post Office: Mouth of Pond...
District 6, Pike, Kentucky, USA
1915
1915
Age 88
Death of Mary Elizabeth "Betty" McCoy
Pike County, Kentucky, United States
showing 1-15 of 15 events

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Immediate Family
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Allen C. McCoy (1823 - 1879)

Mary Elizabeth's husband Charles Douglass Brown Son of Samuel McCoy and Nancy Ann McCoy (Maynard)
Husband of Mary Elizabeth "Betty" McCoy
Father of Sylvester McCoy; Esther Easter McCoy; Jane McCoy; Henderson McCoy and 7 others
Brother of Hiram McCoy; Rebecca McCoy; John McCoy, II; Asa Harmon McCoy and 16 others
Half brother of Mary "Polly" Varney (Williamson); Richard Williamson; Anny Rutherford; John Moses Williamson, Jr. and 12 others

Sylvester McCoy (1843 - d.)

Mary Elizabeth's son Lloyd Alfred Doss, Jr. Son of Allen C. McCoy and Mary Elizabeth "Betty" McCoy
Brother of Esther Easter McCoy; Jane McCoy; Henderson McCoy; Hannes McCoy and 6 others
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Esther Easter McCoy (1844 - d.)

Mary Elizabeth's daughter Lloyd Alfred Doss, Jr. Daughter of Allen C. McCoy and Mary Elizabeth "Betty" McCoy
Wife of William J. "Bill" Patterson
Mother of Lunsford Patterson; Willie Patterson; Lucinda Patterson; James H. Patterson and 4 others
Sister of Sylvester McCoy; Jane McCoy; Henderson McCoy; Hannes McCoy and 6 others
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Jane McCoy (1847 - d.)

Mary Elizabeth's daughter Lloyd Alfred Doss, Jr. Daughter of Allen C. McCoy and Mary Elizabeth "Betty" McCoy
Sister of Sylvester McCoy; Esther Easter McCoy; Henderson McCoy; Hannes McCoy and 6 others
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Henderson McCoy (1848 - d.)

Mary Elizabeth's son Lloyd Alfred Doss, Jr. Son of Allen C. McCoy and Mary Elizabeth "Betty" McCoy
Brother of Sylvester McCoy; Esther Easter McCoy; Jane McCoy; Hannes McCoy and 6 others
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Hannes McCoy (1850 - d.)

Mary Elizabeth's son Lloyd Alfred Doss, Jr. Son of Allen C. McCoy and Mary Elizabeth "Betty" McCoy
Brother of Sylvester McCoy; Esther Easter McCoy; Jane McCoy; Henderson McCoy and 6 others
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Leonidas McCoy (1852 - 1877)

Mary Elizabeth's son Lloyd Alfred Doss, Jr. Son of Allen C. McCoy and Mary Elizabeth "Betty" McCoy
Brother of Sylvester McCoy; Esther Easter McCoy; Jane McCoy; Henderson McCoy and 6 others
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Larkin McCoy (1854 - d.)

Mary Elizabeth's son Lloyd Alfred Doss, Jr. Son of Allen C. McCoy and Mary Elizabeth "Betty" McCoy
Brother of Sylvester McCoy; Esther Easter McCoy; Jane McCoy; Henderson McCoy and 6 others
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Marrietta McCoy (1856 - d.)

Mary Elizabeth's daughter Lloyd Alfred Doss, Jr. Daughter of Allen C. McCoy and Mary Elizabeth "Betty" McCoy
Sister of Sylvester McCoy; Esther Easter McCoy; Jane McCoy; Henderson McCoy and 6 others
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Reuben Mc Coy (c.1860 - d.)

Mary Elizabeth's son Dawn Gugel White Son of Allen C. McCoy and Mary Elizabeth "Betty" McCoy
Brother of Sylvester McCoy; Esther Easter McCoy; Jane McCoy; Henderson McCoy and 6 others
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Ellison Mc Coy (c.1864 - d.)

Mary Elizabeth's son Dawn Gugel White Son of Allen C. McCoy and Mary Elizabeth "Betty" McCoy
Brother of Sylvester McCoy; Esther Easter McCoy; Jane McCoy; Henderson McCoy and 6 others
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Martha Mc Coy (c.1867 - d.)

Mary Elizabeth's daughter Dawn Gugel White Daughter of Allen C. McCoy and Mary Elizabeth "Betty" McCoy
Sister of Sylvester McCoy; Esther Easter McCoy; Jane McCoy; Henderson McCoy and 6 others
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Mary "Polly" Blankenship (1785 - 1848)

""Polly"", "Mary "Polly" McCoy", "Polly"

Mary Elizabeth's mother Charles Douglass Brown Daughter of William 'Old William' McCoy, I and Cordelia McCoy
Wife of Obediah Blankenship
Mother of Ezekiel Blankenship; Hiram Blankenship; Henry Blankenship; John W Blankenship, Sr and 6 others
Sister of William McCoy; Samuel McCoy; Nancy Agnes McCalley; Elizabeth Hampton McCoy and 16 others
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Obediah Blankenship (1784 - 1850)

Mary Elizabeth's father Matthew Thomas Murray Son of William Hiram Blankenship and Martha Mary Blankenship
Husband of Mary "Polly" Blankenship
Father of Ezekiel Blankenship; Hiram Blankenship; Henry Blankenship; John W Blankenship, Sr and 6 others
Brother of Conley Blankenship; William Henry Blankenship; William Buck Blankenship; Hezekiah Blankenship and 9 others
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Ezekiel Blankenship (1809 - 1877)

Mary Elizabeth's brother Barbara Sue (Shelton) Reinke Son of Obediah Blankenship and Mary "Polly" Blankenship
Husband of Anna White
Father of Mary Marsh; Oliver Blankenship and Hiram Blankenship
Brother of Hiram Blankenship; Henry Blankenship; John W Blankenship, Sr; Conley Blankenship and 5 others
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Hiram Blankenship (1812 - 1883)

Mary Elizabeth's brother Barbara Sue (Shelton) Reinke Son of Obediah Blankenship and Mary "Polly" Blankenship
Husband of Elizabeth Blankenship
Father of John Blankenship
Brother of Ezekiel Blankenship; Henry Blankenship; John W Blankenship, Sr; Conley Blankenship and 5 others
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Henry Blankenship (1813 - d.)

Mary Elizabeth's brother Barbara Sue (Shelton) Reinke Son of Obediah Blankenship and Mary "Polly" Blankenship
Brother of Ezekiel Blankenship; Hiram Blankenship; John W Blankenship, Sr; Conley Blankenship and 5 others
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John W Blankenship, Sr (c.1814 - 1864)

Mary Elizabeth's brother William Ray Shelton, Sr. Son of Obediah Blankenship and Mary "Polly" Blankenship
Husband of Amelia “Milly” Prater
Father of Virginia Phillips; John Wesley Blankenship; Francis Marion Blankenship; Mary Elizabeth Blankenship Phillips and 10 others
Brother of Ezekiel Blankenship; Hiram Blankenship; Henry Blankenship; Conley Blankenship and 5 others
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Conley Blankenship (1820 - d.)

Mary Elizabeth's brother Barbara Sue (Shelton) Reinke Son of Obediah Blankenship and Mary "Polly" Blankenship
Brother of Ezekiel Blankenship; Hiram Blankenship; Henry Blankenship; John W Blankenship, Sr and 5 others
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Presley Blankenship (1821 - 1872)

Mary Elizabeth's brother Corporal, USMC Timothy Paul Setser, Sr. Son of Obediah Blankenship and Mary "Polly" Blankenship
Husband of Mary "Polly" Jane Blankenship
Father of Wilburn Blankenship; lydia Blankenship and Paulina Blankenship
Brother of Ezekiel Blankenship; Hiram Blankenship; Henry Blankenship; John W Blankenship, Sr and 5 others
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William Blankenship (1825 - 1903)

Mary Elizabeth's brother Carol Blankenship Son of Obediah Blankenship and Mary "Polly" Blankenship
Husband of Judith Blankenship
Father of Sylvester Blankenship and William Blankenship
Brother of Ezekiel Blankenship; Hiram Blankenship; Henry Blankenship; John W Blankenship, Sr and 5 others
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James Albert Blankenship

Mary Elizabeth's brother Patty Ringer Brown Son of Obediah Blankenship and Mary "Polly" Blankenship
Father of William Blankenship
Brother of Ezekiel Blankenship; Hiram Blankenship; Henry Blankenship; John W Blankenship, Sr and 5 others
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Elizabeth Blankenship (1812 - 1900)

Mary Elizabeth's sister Carol Ann Mayer Daughter of Obediah Blankenship and Mary "Polly" Blankenship
Wife of Bruner Brumsberry Wilson, Sr.
Mother of Rachel Ann Wilson
Sister of Ezekiel Blankenship; Hiram Blankenship; Henry Blankenship; John W Blankenship, Sr and 5 others
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____________

Rice, Otis K- book The Hatfields & The McCoys

[S2750] Malcolm Logan, Bad Blood- Tracing the Family Blood Lines Through the Hatfields-McCoys, (Date: March 15, 2014;), https://myamericanodyssey.com/tracing-the-family-blood-lines-through-the-hatfields-mccoys/.
Wm Anderson Hatfield (1) fact
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https://myamericanodyssey.com/tracing-the-family-blood-lines-through-the-hatfields-mccoys/

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https://myamericanodyssey.com/tracing-the-family-blood-lines-through-the-hatfields-mccoys/

Bad Blood: Tracing the Family Blood Lines Through the Hatfields & McCoys
written by Malcolm Logan March 15, 2014

The Hatfield clan in the 1880'sThe Hatfield clan in the 1880’s. Armed and ornery. Was my daughter descended from this lot?
I suspect my daughter is a hillbilly. That is, I think she may have hillbilly blood running in her veins. How much hillbilly blood, you might ask?

Well, check this out. Her mother’s name is Marie Hatfield. Her grandfather’s name is Clarence. His father’s name was Floyd, and he was the son of a man named Valentine. That was his first name. Valentine Hatfield.

In 1888 a man named Valentine Hatfield was convicted of murdering Alifair McCoy, daughter of Randolph McCoy, during an attack on his home near Pikeville, KY. Valentine Hatfield was the brother of Devil Anse Hatfield, leader of the notorious feuding Hatfields. The feud started when Randolph McCoy accused one of the Hatfield clan of stealing his pig. The name of the Hatfield who allegedly stole the pig? Floyd Hatfield.

Now this doesn’t necessarily mean my daughter is a direct descendent of the feuding Hatfields but you must admit the coincidence seems awfully suspicious. It certainly did to me. Valentine and Floyd? I mean, come on. So I traveled to Pikeville, Kentucky to see if I could get to the bottom of it.

Complications of Blood
Devil Anse Hatfield and Cambelle Logan.Devil Anse Hatfield and Cambelle Logan. Blood relations?
Pikeville is nestled in the rugged hill country of eastern Kentucky. It’s situated about 25 miles west of the Tug Fork, which is the border between Kentucky and West Virginia. To drive that distance, however, takes close to an hour because the road meanders through clustered hills for miles. Nothing runs straight here, least of all the bloodlines.

Hatfield and McCoy countryHatfield and McCoy country, nestled in the remote corner of three states. Nothing runs straight here, least of all the blood lines.
When settlers first moved here in the 1820’s life was hard. The soil was too rocky to farm, so they lived off grazing stock, hunted small game and foraged. Only the most hardy hung on. By the 1860’s the number of families living in the area could be counted on two hands. So cousins marrying cousins was not uncommon, and when kin married outside the clan, they most often married into one of only a few other local families.

So even before the feud started the Hatfields and McCoys were mixed together by marriage, a complication of fidelity and blood that only served to heighten tensions when the battle lines were drawn in 1878 after Randolph McCoy noticed his missing pig in the sty of Floyd Hatfield. “That’s my hog,” he said. “No it ain’t,” said Floyd. And it was on.

A Hog Before the Law
The hog trial cabin on the Hatfield and McCoy driving tourThe cabin where the hog trial took place. It’s one of the few sites on the Hatfield and McCoy tour where there’s actually something to see.
Now you might expect, given the popular characterization of the feud, that the two sides began popping away at each other on the spot. But it was more civilized than that. In fact, the Hatfields and McCoys had a great respect for the law, something that is not surprising given the fact that they could pretty much predict the outcome of a trial based on how many family members were seated on a jury and which cousin or brother-in-law happened to be the judge.

That was what Randolph McCoy was counting on when he brought suit for recovery of his hog. After all, he had plenty of McCoys on the jury. The only problem was that he had brought suit on the West Virginia side of the Tug where “Preacher Anse” Hatfield was the judge. Testimony was taken from Bill Staton, a member of the Hatfield clan who swore the pig belonged to Floyd Hatfield and the matter was settled in the Hatfield’s favor.

Randolph McCoyRandolph McCoy. He was counting on a jury stacked in his favor. But the judge was a Hatfield.
Suspecting a fix, the McCoys were hopping mad and a few months later, after several violent run-ins, Bill Staton was gunned down during a skirmish in the woods. This matter, too, was brought before the law, and in an apparent attempt to mollify the injured parties, Valentine Hatfield (yes, that Valentine Hatfield) acting as judge, ruled the killing an act of self-defense and let the accused McCoys walk. The matter appeared to be at an end. But there were still hard feelings, and no one - I mean, no one - was about to kiss and make up.

Hatfields in Love
At the Pike County Tourism Bureau I purchased a book entitled simply, “The Hatfields.” It is a history of the feud backed by 150 pages of genealogical data on the Hatfield clan. Thumbing through it I was able to find a Floyd Hatfield born in 1878 who was the son of a Valentine Hatfield. Belle’s grandfather Clarence was born in 1936, which would’ve made Floyd 58 years old at the time of his birth. Way too old.

Genealogy of the HatfieldsGeneaology of the Hatfields. It goes on for pages and pages like this. Somewhere in here was a thread that led directly to my daughter. Or so I hoped.
This particular Floyd Hatfield, however, had something interesting about him. He was married three times. In looking through the genealogy it appeared there was a lot of this going on. Hatfield men didn’t stay in relationships very long.

At a time when divorce was universally scorned, the Hatfields, it appears, took to it with gusto, and the number of flings, trysts and affairs they had seems remarkably high. The Hatfields loved love, it seems, and the most famous of such love affairs occurred between Johnse Hatfield and Roseanna McCoy, a real life Romeo and Juliet, if you believe some. On further analysis, however, you’ll see it was anything but.

Mountain Justice
Mist in the mountains of Hatfield and McCoy countryMist in the mountains. I drove from Pikeville through the Tug River Valley along winding mountain roads.
The Pike County Tourism Bureau, housed in the Hampton Hotel in Pikeville, is working hard to develop the feud sites as a tourist draw. They offer maps, books, audio tapes and self-guided audio tours. The story of the feud is ever fascinating, but the sites themselves are mostly ho-hum.
I drove from Pikeville north through the Tug Valley and into West Virginia. I followed the map along winding mountain roads and stopped at the designated sites. With the notable exception of the log cabin where the hog trial took place, the sites are merely historical markers without much else to distinguish them. At the site where the Hatfield gang tied three of the McCoy brothers to Paw Paw trees and shot them, for example, no Paw Paw trees are currently growing, making it kind of hard to envision what happened there - and what happened there was high drama.

Site of the Paw Paw tree killings on the Hatfield and McCoy driving tourAt the site of the Paw Paw trees killings no Paw Paw trees are currently growing.
The Paw Paw tree killings were the Hatfield’s response to an incident that occurred four years after the hog trial, two years after the Johnse and Roseanna affair. It’s a measure of how close the two families were that, even with so much bad blood between them, they still got together for social events, and in 1882 one of the most popular social events of the season was election day.

People gathered at the election grounds to debate popular issues, celebrate electoral victories and get drunk. It was at the election grounds near Blackberry Creek in Kentucky that a drunken brawl broke out between the Hatfields and McCoys. In the melee Ellison Hatfield was stabbed in the back.

Site of the Hatfield homestead on the Tug River near Matewan, West Virginia.Site of the Hatfield homestead on the Tug River.
The three McCoy brothers responsible for the fracas were arrested, but Devil Anse Hatfield, never one to shy from confronting the authorities, seized the boys from the sheriff and took them across the Tug River into West Virginia. He held them captive as he awaited the fate of Ellison Hatfield who was still alive but hanging on by a thread. He told the McCoys that if Ellison lived, he would free the captives, but if he died, they would pay the price. He died. The three McCoy brothers were tied to the trees and shot. Mountain justice.

Cottontop Drops
Ellison Ellison “Cottontop” Mounts was a sacrificial lamb who paid for the crimes of others.
The Paw Paw tree killings escalated the feud. Now the two sides could not see each other without hard looks, mean words and outbreaks of violence. It got so bad that it drew the attention of the governor of Kentucky who appointed a special officer to bring the murderers of the McCoy brothers to justice and end the feud. Bounty hunters descended on the region and spread out into West Virginia, looking for the Hatfields, which only served to incite more violence.

Finally, on New Years night 1888, the Hatfields, sick of being hunted and harassed, lashed out at the McCoys, hoping to end the feud by killing Randolph McCoy, head of the McCoy clan and the one man who could bring damning evidence against them. They raided Randolph’s cabin, attacking his wife and children, shooting his son and burning the cabin to the ground. Randolph got away. But Randolph’s crippled and unarmed daughter, Alifair, was killed.

The hanging of The hanging of “Cottontop” Mounts in Pikeville in 1888.
This was the final straw. The authorities from Kentucky rode into West Virginia, shot two of the Hatfield gang and arrested nine others, including Valentine Hatfield, who ten years earlier had presided as judge in the trial of Bill Staton, which had acquitted the McCoys of murder. It bought him no leniency. Valentine and seven others were convicted and sentenced to life. The ninth, a young man named Ellison “Cottontop” Mounts, was condemned to be hanged.

Site of Cottontop Mounts hanging with historical markerThe site of the hanging today, the most anti-climactic of many anti-climactic sties on the self-guided driving tour.
The hanging of Ellison Mounts is widely considered to be a travesty, a bone thrown to the vengeful McCoys to appease them and bring the feud to an end. Mounts was a sacrificial lamb, a naïve half wit who probably didn’t understand what was happening to him. In any case, he was the one person condemned to die for all the bloodshed between the Hatfields and McCoys. Today the site of his hanging is a parking facility on the campus of Pikeville University, the most anti-climactic of many anti-climactic sites on the Hatfield and McCoy tour. I was a little disappointed that my effort to discover the lineage of my daughter had mostly floundered, but on the way home I decided to give my ex-wife a call, my daughter’s mother, to let her know what I’d been up to.

My Funny Valentine
Valentine Valentine “Wall” Hatfield of the feuding Hatfields. Was he my daughter’s great-great-grandfather?
It turned out Marie had a file folder full of all sorts of genealogical data relating to her family, much of it gleaned from the web, with notes in the margins indicating that whoever had compiled it was up to the same thing I had been up to, trying to connect her family to the feuding Hatfields, even going so far as to suggest that the Valentine Hatfield who died in prison in 1890 was her great-great-grandfather.

This was simply not possible as it meant her great-grandfather would had to have been born three years after his father died, which would’ve made for an unusually long pregnancy for his mother. No, the Valentine Hatfield of the feuding Hatfields was not our Valentine. So who was?

Marie made some calls to her sister and her father and we began to cobble it together. As it turned out, her grandfather Floyd was born in 1893 and came to Illinois from Hancock County, Kentucky, around 1920. Hancock County is about 250 miles west of Pikeville, a long way from feud country.

We knew Floyd’s father’s name was Valentine, but that wasn’t enough, and it kept leading us down a blind alley to the feudists. We needed something more and after a little digging around we found it, in the notes in her file. Floyd’s father went by the nickname of “Tine”, short for Valentine. As it turned out this was the key to the whole thing.

Hatfield Street in Matewan, WVHatfield Street in Matewan, West Virginia. All the streets in this town are named after Hatfields.

Branches on a Tree
Although it wasn’t in the genealogy book I bought in Pikeville, I googled the name Valentine “Tine” Hatfield and discovered, to my great surprise, a genealogical thread that identified him as being born in 1867 and coming from Hancock County, Kentucky. Although it didn’t list the names of his children, he was clearly the father of Floyd whose birth occurred in Hancock County in 1893 when Valentine “Tine” Hatfield was 26. The thread also provided the name of Valentine’s father. I clicked on the link.

Valentine was the son of Ephraim Hatfield who was born in Fentress County, Tennessee in 1826. There was a link to his father. I clicked on it. Ephraim was the son of James William Hatfield who was born in Tennessee in 1808. A link led me further back, to the name of his father.

Hatfield Family TreeHatfield family tree showing split between two branches of the family. (Click image to enlarge).
John T. Hatfield was born in Russell County, Virginia in 1785 before the US constitution was ratified, and his father Joseph Hatfield was born in Augusta County, Virginia, on the eastern slope of the Appalachians in 1740, thirty-six years before the American Revolution!

Joseph Hatfield is especially interesting because he married twice. His second wife, Rachel Smith, produced the branch of the family from which my daughter is descended. His first wife, Elizabeth Vance, produced the branch from which the feuding Hatfields are descended.

So there it was. My daughter was not a direct descendant of the feuding Hatfields, but she was something more; she was a young woman with very deep roots in this country. That was exciting. I dug deeper.

The Pilgrim
Migration route of the Hatfield familyMigration route of the Hatfield family, from New Haven, CT to Waukegan, IL in 300 years. (Click image to enlarge)
Joseph was the son of Abraham Hatfield Jr. who was born in Essex County, New Jersey in 1695, and he was the son of Abraham Hatfield Sr. who was born in Elizabethtown, New Jersey in 1670, a mere 50 years after the pilgrims set foot on Plymouth Rock! Abraham Sr. was a shoemaker and ran a tannery with his brother. Industrious fellows for sure, and sons of a courageous father, Matthias.

Matthias Hatfield was the first Hatfield in twelve generations not born in America. He was born in Leyden, Holland in 1640. Records indicate that he married Maria Moylen in New Haven, Connecticut in the 1660’s. So he was the first Hatfield to come to the New World. He arrived just twenty-five years after the City of New Haven was founded by a party of Puritans moving down from Massachusetts Bay Colony. Those Puritans would’ve been on a first name basis with William Bradford and the original Mayflower settlers.

Presumably Matthias would’ve felt right at home among the Puritans because his father, Thomas Hatfield, was a religious dissenter who was born in Almondsbury, England in 1620 but left the country for Holland sometime in the late 1630’s, a pilgrim in his own right. Almondsbury, for the record, is 125 miles west of the town of Hatfield in England.

The Good Blood
Marie Hatfield Logan and Cambelle Logan in 2012. Marie Hatfield Logan and Cambelle Logan in 2010. They are descended from the good blood, which makes me glad.
Ha! So my daughter is not descended from hillbillies. Instead, she is descended from a long line of brave and industrious frontiersmen.

From the moment Thomas Hatfield set forth from England in the 1630’s this branch of the Hatfield’s have been on the move, going from Holland to Connecticut, from Connecticut to New Jersey, and from there on to Virginia, Tennessee, Kentucky and Illinois, where she was born in 1989. Today she lives in California. These Hatfields are voyagers, seekers and pioneers. They are the best of what it means to be an American.

So while it would’ve been thrilling to find a connection to the feuding Hatfields, what I found instead was even better, a brave, resilient people who never would’ve gotten bogged down in a feud over a stolen hog. Once things got ugly, they simply would’ve pulled up stakes and moved on. They are just the sort of people I admire, people true to their convictions, smart, resourceful, willing to take risks, and not likely to sit still for petty nonsense. I’m proud that their blood runs in my daughter’s veins. She has good blood.

Previous stop on the odyssey: Pigeon Forge, TN //
Next stop on the odyssey: Lexington, KY

Sources:
Descendants of Thomas Hatfield. Jennifer-Norman.com. Acquired 23 Nov. 2013.
Hatfield, G. Elliott. The Hatfields. Paintsville, KY: East Kentucky Press. 1974. Updated and revised 2012.
Pike County Tourism, Convention and Visitor Bureau, The Great Vendetta. 2013.
Wikipedia contributors. “Hatfield and McCoy Feud.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, last modified 26 Nov. 2013. Acquired 27 Nov. 2012.

Image credits:
Hatfield clan, Public Domain; Devil “Anse Hatfield, West Virginia and Regional History Collection WVU Libraries; Cambelle Logan, Malcolm Logan; Hatfield and McCoy Region map, Kmusser; Hog trial cabin, Malcolm Logan; Randolph McCoy, McCoy Family Genealogy; Genealogy book, Malcolm Logan; Johnse Hatfield, Kentucky Genealogy; Roseanne McCoy, Public domain; Roseanna McCoy grave, Malcolm Logan; Mist in the Mountains, Malcolm Logan; Site of the Paw Paw trees killings, Forest McDermott; Hatfield homestead, Malcolm Logan; Ellison Cottontop Mounts, Pike County Tourism, Convention and Visitors Bureau; Ellison Cottontop Mounts Hanging, Pike County Tourism, Convention and Visitors Bureau; Mounts hanging site, Malcolm Logan; Valentine “Wall” Hatfield, Public domain; Hatfield street in Matewan, Malcolm Logan; Hatfield family tree, Malcolm Logan; Migration route of the Hatfields, Malcolm Logan; Marie Hatfield Logan and Cambelle Logan, Marie Hatfield Logan

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"TINE"DESCENDANTDEVIL ANSE HATFIELDDRIVING TOURFEUDGENEALOGYHATFIELDINTERESTING US DESTINATIONSJOHNSE HATFIELDKENTUCKYMATEWANMCCOYPIKE COUNTYPIKEVILEROSEANNA MCCOYTUG RIVERUS HISTORYUS TRAVELVALENTINEWEST VIRGINIA
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7 COMMENTS

HEATHER THORNTON
December 10, 2013 - 5:57 PM
Great piece on this notorious family. I have always been interested in this story and have watched and read a lot about these families. Thanks for the great writing and sharing you stories of your trip.

REPLY

VALERI SHAFER
March 30, 2016 - 2:41 PM
Unfortunately, this is a made up genealogy of Joseph. While Abraham, Jr did have a brother Joseph, he did not have a son, Joseph! This is proven in the will of Abraham, Jr, of which I hold a copy of original. At the writing of this will in 1742-two years after the proposed son, Joseph, was born, Abraham lists his nine children, with “the last seven being underage” and proceeds to name them-“David, Samuel, Elias, Jacob, William, Sarah, Phebe.” He also names his two sons of majorative age-“Abraham (III) and John.” Finally, he names his widow-Margaret. He was born and died in Elizabethtown, then Essex Co, NJ. He died, and his will was proven, without contest, in 1745. There was no Joseph at the time of his death, as this child, like the others, would have been named a guardian of his estate. Furthermore, when Margaret died in 1745, her will, also proven, names the same nine children-again no mention of a Joseph, with the last three sons-Elias, Jacob, William still being minors, therefore needing guardians. These legal documents leave no room for the Joseph supposedly born 1740.

REPLY

HATFIELD
April 15, 2016 - 8:56 AM
I AM a direct descendant of the Feuding Hatfields. I appreciate your admiration of my family over the years, but your hillbilly and “bogged down in a feud over a stolen hog” remarks are a little offensive and short-sighted. There was much more to it than that. Maybe it’s to make you feel better about not being connected to them, maybe not. But I disagree with those remarks.

REPLY

TIM.
May 28, 2016 - 5:47 PM
I am proud of my Heritage and the fact that my ancestors fought in what they believed in..I am proud to be considered a HillBilly…I can tell you right now that the feud between the two families was not over a pig..Another thing a true Hatfield runs from no one….

REPLY

FRAN
April 26, 2017 - 9:38 AM
As a genealogist, I’ve always found the scandals and rifts to be the interesting part of a family tree. We have always thought that we were tied to the Hatfields and McCoys. It was so long ago, that no one feels any less of a person by the actions or “stories” of how things went down. You have interesting heritage and great stories for your family. My ggg grandfather and his entire family except for relations that were not present, was murdered by poisoning the lemonade at a Sunday dinner in 1850. As tragic as it was, I’m thankful to be here by chance. We all have our family skeletons.

REPLY

FRAN
April 26, 2017 - 9:31 AM
We have Hartsfields and McElroys that go way back into Plymouth Rock and the very early settlers. Both names have been changed through generations to many various spellings. Both families seemed to migrate down to the Southern states and intermarried distant cousins etc. One researcher claimed that the Hatfields and McCoys were a group of families that branched off into the Blue Ridge mountains while others went further South into NC and Georgia. Nothing has ever been proven if there is a connection, however, the Hartsfields are said to have been Swiss and the name was originally Hartzfelder. Often names were spelled as they were pronounced….depending on the dialect. McElroy has MANY spellings including MacKilroy.

REPLY

JOHN HILD
March 25, 2018 - 3:43 PM
I watched the Movie from the Library with that famous actor, I can’t think of his name right now. I enjoyed the long movie and was surprised to see the similarities to the movie when I went on line with the Computer. The Hatfield’s seem to be more Affluent and got more Attention. As to the question I have been wondering for many years; Who was the bad guy and who was the good guy. I feel that they both were at fault for what happened. Yet the law here dose not remedy all feuds or injustices adequately. So they looked for justice on their own. Which is sometimes the only way to get it, so I can’t fault or condemn either side. I met a stucco contractor who claims to be a McCoy, I may call him this week to see what he has to say about the history of the Families. He claims to be a descendant of the feuding family of McCoy’s. It is very sad about Cotton Top. I was hoping that was a dramatization, but it seems that they really did Hang a Cotton Top. And that I did not agree with at all. Did any of the others ever get released from prison or did they die in state custody?

	Hatfield, CottonTop hanging McCoys KYMonthly 20230526GHLn- https://historycollection.com/18-photos-folkloric-feud-hatfields-mccoys/2/ The McCoy’s at Cottontop’s hanging. Copied from 18 Photos of the Feud Between the Hatfields and McCoys Jacob Miller - July 1, 2017 Ran'l & Sally McCoy in front, circled.
	McCoy, Kirk age-61-1892 HistoryCollection 20230526GHLn- https://historycollection.com/18-photos-folkloric-feud-hatfields-mccoys/2/ Selkirk McCoy at age 61, 1892. 18 Photos of the Feud Between the Hatfields and McCoys Jacob Miller - July 1, 2017
	Hatfield, Devil Anse & statue LoganWVus 20230529GHLN- https://loganwv.us/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/Logan-WV-1952-p19bc-480x314.jpg
	Hatfield, Johnse__Roseanna_McCoy myamericanodyssey 20230531GHLn- from Bad Blood: Tracing the Family Blood Lines Through the Hatfields & McCoys by Malcolm Logan March 15, 2014 A Hillbilly Lothario Johnse Hatfield and Roseanna McCoy, a real life Romeo and Juliet? Uh, not so much. Johnse and Roseanna met at a picnic in 1880 two years after the hog trial when feelings between the two families were…
	Hatfield, Wm Devil Anse fam w guns BadBloodblog
	Hatfield, Johnse HistoryCollection 20230531GHLn- Johnse Hatfield, son of Devil Anse Hatfield; he got Roseanna McCoy pregnant broke her heart and married her cousin Nancy McCoy. Pinterest
	Hatfield, anse_levicy-at-cemetery.-appalachianlady_BadBloodblog 20230531GHLn- Anse and Levicy at cemetery. appalachianlady.files.wordpress https://historycollection.com/18-photos-folkloric-feud-hatfields-mccoys/2/
	Hatfield, Anse funeral Jan1921_BadBloodblog 20230531GHLn- Funeral of Devil Anse in Jan 1921. Pinterest Levicey Chafin Hatfield Tennis Hatfield Johnse Hatfield Nancy "Nan" Hatfield Coleman A. Hatfield Cap Hatfield
	Hatfield, Anse tomb BadBloodblog 20230531GHLn- Devil Anse Hatfield’s tomb. Pinterest https://historycollection.com/18-photos-folkloric-feud-hatfields-mccoys/2/ HATFIELD Johnson Wm. A. Robert L. Nancy Elliott A. Mary Elizabeth Elias Troy Joseph D. Rose Willis E. Tennis S. Their Children

[S2705] Public Member Trees 2023, Murphy / Thompson / Bowe Family Tree - motherramona / Eleanor Nelly Burress (104) facts 20230529GHLn- /sse.dll?db=1030&h=20449386371&indiv=try.
Record for Eleanor Nelly Burress (104) facts
20230529GHLn-
Murphy / Thompson / Bowe Family Tree - motherramona / Eleanor Nelly Burress
Eleanor Nelly Burress 1806-1884
BIRTH ABOUT 1806 • Russell Co., Virginia
DEATH BEF. OCT 1884 • Logan, Logan, West Virginia,
/sse.dll?db=1030&h=20449386371&indiv=try

Record for Eleanor Nelly Burress (104) facts
20230529GHLn-
Murphy / Thompson / Bowe Family Tree - motherramona / Eleanor Nelly Burress
Eleanor Nelly Burress 1806-1884
BIRTH ABOUT 1806 • Russell Co., Virginia
DEATH BEF. OCT 1884 • Logan, Logan, West Virginia,
/sse.dll?db=1030&h=20449386371&indiv=try

20230529GHLn-
Asa McCoy and Eleanor Burress--Notes from coalexchange.com
Posted 16 Jun 2013 by motherramona
[The following notes are from a McDowell and Wyoming Counties webpage at: http://www.coalexchange.com/smith/mcdowella/pafn864.htm#33722 ]

Asa McCoy
1. "Pioneers Families of Easter and SE KY", William C. Kozee, 1973, page 163.
Asa McCoy married Eleanor Burriss on 14 Sep 1832 in Pike Co, KY.
2. Ancestry.com Web Site, Selkirk McCoy Search, 13 Jul 2003, submitted by Nina L. Miles,
gideon@blazenet.net.
Selkirk McCoy; born in Apr 1833 on Paw Paw, Pike Co, KY; son of Asa and Eleanor Burriss McCoy.
3. "Tazewell Co (VA) Marriages, 1854-1866" Register No 3, Year 1866, transcribed by Pauline Haga.
Uriah McCoy, age 22, born and living in Logan Co, VA (WV), son of Asa and E. McCoy, married on 27
Aug 1866 Nannie Barnett, age 18, born in Wytheville, VA, daughter of Phillip and Mary Barnett. Married
by William Henry Bates.
4. 1840 Census, Logan Co, VA, Page 83B.
Listed as Asa McCoy; with 2 males under 5, 1 male 5-10, 1 male 30-40, 1 female under 5, 2 females
5-10, 1 female 10-15, and 1 female 30-40.
4. 1860 Census, Logan Co, VA, Court House PO, taken on 26 Jul 1860, Page 291, Family #595.
Listed as Asa McCoy, age 51, born in VA, farmer, head of household.
5. 1870 Census, Logan Co, WV, Magnolia District, Rich Creek PO, Page 536B, Family #29.
Listed as Asa McCoy, age 60, born in KY, farmer, head of household.
6. 1880 Census, Logan Co, WV, Magnolia District, taken on 18 Jun 1880, Page 297A, Family #62.
Listed as Asa McCoy, age 71, born in KY, father born in MD, mother in VA, farmer, head of household.

Eleanor "Nelly" Burress
1. "Pioneers Families of Easter and SE KY", William C. Kozee, 1973, page 163.
Asa McCoy married Eleanor Burriss on 14 Sep 1832 in Pike Co, KY.
2. Ancestry.com Web Site, Selkirk McCoy Search, 13 Jul 2003, submitted by Nina L. Miles,
gideon@blazenet.net.
Selkirk McCoy; born in Apr 1833 on Paw Paw, Pike Co, KY; son of Asa and Eleanor Burriss McCoy.
3. 1860 Census, Logan Co, VA, Court House PO, taken on 26 Jul 1860, Page 291, Family #595.
Listed as Eleanor McCoy, age 53, born in VA, in household of husband, Asa McCoy.
4. "Tazewell Co (VA) Marriages, 1854-1866" Register No 3, Year 1866, transcribed by Pauline Haga.
Uriah McCoy, age 22, born and living in Logan Co, VA (WV), son of Asa and E. McCoy, married on
27 Aug 1866 Nannie Barnett, age 18, born in Wytheville, VA, daughter of Phillip and Mary Barnett.
Married by William Henry Bates.
5. 1870 Census, Logan Co, WV, Magnolia District, Rich Creek PO, Page 536B, Family #29.
Listed as Eleanor McCoy, age 62, born in VA, in household of husband, Asa McCoy.
6. 1880 Census, Logan Co, WV, Magnolia District, taken on 18 Jun 1880, Page 297A, Family #62.
Listed as Nelly McCoy, age 75, born in VA, in household of husband, Asa McCoy.

Asa McCoy and Eleanor Burress--Notes from coalexchange.com
LS
Lydia Smith originally shared this on 14 Apr 2008

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McCoy, Asa & Eleanor Burress anc_MillieVincent
20230529GHLn-
Millie Vincent originally shared this on 20 Nov 2012

Asa and Eleanor McCoy

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