The Man: "Devil Anse" Hatfield

The Man: "Devil Anse" Hatfield. . , While most may only know the man nicknamed "Devil Anse" Hatfield for his involvement in the infamous feud, William Anderson Hatfield the man is worthy of historic study as well., Born September 9, 1839, Anderson Hatfield was the fourth of eleven children born to Ephraim "Big Eph" Hatfield and Nancy Vance. As a boy, precocious Anderson Hatfield was already a skilled hunter and marksman. He married Levisa "Levicy" Chafin in 1861, just before he joined the Confederate cause in the Civil War. During the war, Anderson earned a reputation as a fearless and formidable fighter. He served as 1st Lieutenant in the 2nd Regiment, Company D, Virginia State Line Cavalry in 1862, and the following year in the 45th Battalion, Company B, Virginia Infantry.Upon his return home, he joined an irregular militia unit called the Logan Wildcats, patrolling some of West Virginia's border counties., After the Civil War, Anderson proved to be a driven entrepreneur, making a name for himself in the timber industry from 1870 to 1888, and he amassed roughly five thousand acres of land. Over that time, he sold portions of the land to family and friends and used the rest for himself and his timber business. In January 1888, the same month when the New Year's Day Massacre and the Battle of Grapevine Creek occurred, Anderson was compelled to sell his land in order to pay previous court debts., He and his wife moved several miles north, to Main Island Creek, where he not only hunted but trained bears among other pursuits before his death in 1921. Though he wasn't very religious for most of his life, he was baptized in 1911 at the age of seventy-three. His passing made national news. Approximately five hundred people attended his funeral. His family paid to have his likeness carved from marble, which still stands at his plot in the family cemetery., [Captions] , Above: Anderson Hatfield captured in a winter portrait c. 1893 , Courtesy of West Virginia and Regional History Center, WVU Libraries, Above: Anderson Hatfield was known the trap and train bear cubs. , Courtesy of West Virginia State Archives, Above: Portrait of Anderson Hatfield , Courtesy of West Virginia and Regional History Center, WVU Library., Above: Anderson on front steps c. 1900-1910, , Courtesy of West Virginia and Regional History Center, WVU Libraries, Below: Family and friends gathered around Anderson Hatfield's casket on the day of his funeral. , Courtesy of West Virginia and Regional History Center, WVU Libraries, Above: The famous monument of Anderson Hatfield carved from Italian marble. , Courtesy of West Virginia and Regional History Center, WVU Libraries,