Instead of rekindling their famous family feud, the descendants of the Hatfields and McCoys faced off on an open field near the mountains of eastern Kentucky to heal wounds that date back to the 1870s.
Many of the feud’s modern day descendants met for the first time. Handshakes and pleasantries replaced the accusations of hog-stealing and arguments over timber resources that were believed to have started the feud.
The reunion was initiated by Bo McCoy, Waycross, Georgia, and his cousin Ron McCoy, Durham, North Carolina. The Hatfields came aboard after the McCoys extended invitations through tourism offices in Kentucky and West Virginia.
The feud between the Hatfields of West Virginia and the McCoys of Kentucky began in the post-Civil War era. By the time all conflict associated with it ended in 1900, 12 people were dead.
from the Associated Press
