“Big Sam” or “Squirrel-Hunting Sam” McCoy played a key role in the escalation of the violence of the Hatfield and McCoy Feud. Known locally for his prowess as a squirrel hunter (from which he received one of his nicknames), Sam was an outdoorsmen of great skill and marksmanship, claiming to have killed 38,000 squirrels with…

Randolph “Ole Ran’l” McCoy was the head of the McCoy family during the Hatfield and McCoy feud; he and his wife Sarah produced 16 children. Randolph was a tall man with a stern and serious personality, befitting of a grudge. In 1878, it was Randolph McCoy who accused Floyd Hatfield, Anderson “Devil Anse” Hatfield’s cousin,…

With History Channel’s Hatfields & McCoys miniseries, we at Pikeville-Pike County Tourism CVB thought it would be a great idea to introduce some of the feud’s most interesting character’s in a series of articles titled “Faces of the Feud.” If you would like to learn more about the Hatfield and McCoy feud, as well as…