Chat Rm 33006

May 10, 2004 9:59 AM

The Great American Feud. Hatfield - McCoy timeline and photo gallery. 2003 VA news report on a truce between descendants of both families. Also, Congress has appropriated nearly $500,000 to improve feud sites for tourism. You can even help one of the families win a Reunion Marathon this June.
posted by mcgraw (9 comments total)

Interesting topic. I always wonder how 19th century Appalachian hill people contrast with, for example, the inhabitants of those tribal areas in a place like Pakistan.

The first link is atrociously written.
posted by coelecanth at 11:07 AM on May 10, 2004

more here and here

The first two offer better synopses of the story.
posted by mcgraw at 11:16 AM on May 10, 2004

From the FPP:
Soon after, when the Hatfields decided someone was leaking their plans, they turned on Nancy McCoy Hatfield's sister, Mary Elliott, bursting into her home and switching her and her daughter with a cow's tail.

Is this last phrase to be taken literally? If not, I'm not familiar with the idiom. I mean, it seems like something that someone who hails from the banks of the Tug River just might say.
posted by speedo at 11:51 AM on May 10, 2004

switching her and her daughter with a cow's tail.
speedo, "Switching" you have never been asked to fetch a switch off a tree?
posted by thomcatspike at 12:01 PM on May 10, 2004

Usually older relatives spanked this way, today you would be frowned upon; back then it was a common term.
posted by thomcatspike at 12:04 PM on May 10, 2004

Oh, that verb. I was thinking switch as in 'swap', not 'swat'. Thanks.
posted by speedo at 12:17 PM on May 10, 2004

Personally, it's the cow's tail part that confounds me.
posted by scody at 12:33 PM on May 10, 2004

Right, well there is that bit of research remaining, too.
posted by speedo at 2:10 PM on May 10, 2004

What else are you going to do with that particular argicultural product?
posted by KirkJobSluder at 2:42 PM on May 10, 2004