10 Deeply Personal Historical Rivalries
4. Hatfields Vs. McCoys: Family Feud, Literally
The mountainous Tug River Valley, on the border of Kentucky and West Virginia, played host to a family rivalry that played out like a real life Montagues and Capulets. Except instead of Italian nobility the main parties were American hill folk.
The feud between the Hatfields and McCoys is really just a two-man rivalry between the family patriarchs; William 'Devil Anse' Hatfield and Randolph 'Ole Ran'l' McCoy, with family members, friends and employees being dragged into their several decade long pissing match.
Though the affair had already lead to several skirmishes and at least one death, the real turning point of the feud was the debate over a pig, in 1878 Ole Ran'l accused Floyd Hatfield, cousin of Devil Anse, of stealing one of their pigs.
The dispute went to court and was presided over by another Hatfield. Guess how the trial went?
Several years, more deaths, and cross-clan relationships later, on New Year's Day 1888 an all out fight broke out between the families leading to several deaths, arrests and at least one eventual execution.
The rivalry has become something of a folk legend, and descendants of both Hatfield and McCoy seem to have cleaned up well from the publicity, including a frankly baffling series of episodes of Hatfield/McCoy Family Feud (American Family Fortunes).