For years, the true reason why the Hatfield & McCoy Feud started has been debated. Was it a stolen pig? A love affair gone wrong? Money quarrels? That's just a few speculated causes for the feud. Now, the mystery is finally solved. Here's what we know!
The Dig
Over the last few weeks, archeologist accompanied by local historians have been searching through several areas occupied by the Hatfield and McCoy families. These experts spent hours digging through soil, carefully searching for more clues on the feud. Finally, a dig on the property of Devil Anse Hatfield proved to hold the secrets.
As the archeological team sifted through the dirt, after digging approximately fifteen feet into the ground under where the Hatfield homestead once stood, a metal box was found. The initials, “LCH” were engraved across the top. Found inside the box was a diary which belonged to Devil Anse's wife, Levisa “Levicy” Chafin-Hatfield.
The Diary
The diary began years prior to the beginning of the feud. In this Mrs. Hatfield discussed the inner workings of the Hatfield family, the children, and their friendship with the McCoy family. Then, suddenly after a game of cards in the kitchen of the McCoy family home, the friendship soured. According to the diary, Devil Anse accused Randall McCoy of cheating in a card game. The argument became heated and violent.
"The other men at the card game all stood up to leave when guns were drawn. My dear husband knew Randall had cheated and was tired of his ways. Me and Sally (Sarah McCoy) finally talked the men into parting ways, but we knew it would never be the same," said Mrs. Hatfield in the lines of her diary.
The Rest is History
From there, all the other incidents began to take place. It's true there was a Hatfield & McCoy Family love affair between Johnse Hatfield and Roseanna McCoy that was doomed from the beginning. A pig was stolen as retaliation during the feud. However, it all began with that game of cards gone wrong.
The History Channel has been in contact with the archeological team and descendants of the families. The television network plans to film a prequel to their 2012 hit mini-series, “Hatfields & McCoys” to depict the findings of Levicy’s diary.
Final Detail
The only detail left to this story is to tell you April Fools!