The violence had ended years before. But that didn’t stop the bitterness.
In fact, the after-effects of the famed feud between the Hatfield and McCoy families in the late 1800s became a generational curse that lasted for years and years.
What stopped it? The simple actions of just one man.
“My grandfather, Tennyson Hatfield … was sitting on the porch one day, and he saw an older gentleman going by. And at this time, my grandfather … was the sheriff of Logan County, West Virginia. And he asked the man next to him, ‘Who is that?’ And he said, ‘That’s old McCoy.’ And he said, ‘He’s a policeman here in Pikeville [Kentucky].’
“And so my grandfather called him over and shook hands, held out his hand. He said, ‘I’m Tennyson Hatfield. Why don’t we end this right now? ‘And they went up on the front porch … and they sat there together.”
Pastor Bill Hatfield, Tennyson’s grandson, has since recreated the photo of that event with descendants of the McCoy family. And he uses the examples from his ancestors, including the notorious family patriarch, “Devil Anse” Hatfield, to teach lessons about conflict resolution today. (Hear more of his story in this Charisma Connection podcast.)
“Everything rises and falls on leadership, and somebody has to take the initiative,” Hatfield says. To hear more wisdom from this descendant of the famed Hatfields about how to resolve the various conflicts you face at work, at home and even in church, listen to this entire episode of the Greenelines podcast at this link. And make sure to subscribe to Greenelines so you catch more stories that inspire in the power of the Holy Spirit. {eoa}
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