Ephraim Hatfield
 | The topic of this article may not meet Wikitia's general notability guideline. |
Ephraim Hatfield | |
|---|---|
| Add a Photo | |
| Born | 1811 |
| Died | 1881 |
| Burial place | Hatfield Cemetery (Newtown, West Virginia) |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance | Confederate States of America |
| Service/ | CSA |
| Years of service | 1861–1865 |
| Unit | 45th Virginia Infantry Battalion |
| Battles/wars | American Civil War |
Ephraim Hatfield (1811-1881) was a farmer, landowner,[1] and later confederate soldier.[2] He was a well respected member of the community in Tug Fork when his son Devil Anse Hatfield was a child. Tax records show that before the American Civil War he gained many acres of land. He would give these tracts of land to his family except his son Devil Anse. During the American Civil War he fought on the side of the Confederates. When he passed away in 1881 his grave became one of the first graves in Hatfield Cemetery.
News papers during the 19th and 20th centuries told stories how he was a mighty hunter. Since his son was the only that didn’t receive land,
Life
Early life
Ephraim Hatfield was born in 1811 and is a son of Valentine Hatfield and Martha Weddington.[3][4][5] He was named after his grandfather.[6] At the age of 16 he married Nancy Vance when she was 15.[5]
Moves to Mate Creek
Nancy and Ephraim moved to Mate Creek. The couple had 18 children with only 10 of them making it to adulthood.[5]
During Devil Anse's childhood Ephraim became one of the most respected and trusted members of Tug Valley. He acted as the local justice of peace and resolved conflicts between neighbors, this resulted in his children having a bit if prestige. Despite this he was know as one of the quietest men in the valley.[7]
Gains land
(try looking into this, it is important to the historical narrative of the feud)
In 1846, tax records show that he owned 215 acres of land on Mates Creek.[8]
1850, he owned 2 more tracts of land one on Double camp fork and the other on Strait fork.[8]
Civil War
During the American Civil War Ephraim enlisted in the 45th Virginia Infantry Battalion when he was 51 years old.[2]
Death
Ephraim would die in 1881 and be buried in Newton cemetery on Mates Creek.[9] Today the cemetery is known as Hatfield Cemetery, his grave is the earliest grave in the cemetery.[10]
Legacy
Since his son Devil Anse was the only child to not receive land, this resulted in his son struggling financially and harmed Devil Anse's social status.[11]
Children
Ephraim had the following children:[3][12]
- Valentine born in 1834
- Elizabeth born in 1836
- Martha born in 1838
- Anderson born in 1839
- Ellison born 1842
- Elias born in 1848
- Emma born in 1849
- Smith born in 1854
- Patterson born in 1854
- Biddie
Appearance
He was over 7 feet tall and weighed more than 300 pounds,[5] his huge size gained him the nickname Big Eaf.[7]
Stories of his hunts
A newspaper published in 1895 tells a story of how he killed a bear in a fair fight, the goes as follows:[13]{{Quote box | quote = EPHRAIM AND THE BEAR
How He Killed a Yearling in a Fair Fight Without Weapons
Old Ephraim Hatfield, father of Anse and Elias Hatfield, of McCoy-Hatfield feud notoriety, was a born fighter. He was also a mighty hunter, and had one ambition: to kill a yearling bear in a fair fight without any weapons other than those nature provided him with.
Every day that he felt especially strong, he would go out with his dogs. Treeing a bear, he would get him down and fight him. When bruin would begin to get the best of the encounter, he would call his boys to let loose the dogs. Year after year passed, and Ephraim had not yet whipped a bear.
One day a fine yearling bear was treed, and as Cuffy was climbing to a place of safety, old man Hatfield cut off a piece of the animal’s tail with a quick blow of his knife, and the bear came down. Ephraim threw his gun and knives to the boys and cried out:
“He’s a likely varmint. Stan’ aside, boys, an’ watch yo’ dad. I’m comin’, bar!”
And he clutched the bear by the throat. The animal got its paws around Ephraim, and they fought, rolling in every direction, until it was almost impossible to distinguish man from beast in the cloud. The boys held the dogs and encouraged the old man by shouting to him:
“Go it, pap! You’ve got ’im! Give it to ’im, dad!”
Down the hill the two rolled until they could roll no farther.
“Let loose the dogs!” shouted the old man. “Let ’em loose! The critter’s got me!”
But the boys thought the old man would never have a better opportunity to realize his ambition and whip a yearling bear, and kept the dogs away.
Finally, Ephraim, seeing that he was not to have assistance, began to use his feet and hands with an energy born of despair, and in half an hour he succeeded in choking the animal to death—but not until his clothes were torn to shreds and his face and body were covered with gaping wounds, from which the blood flowed so freely that it left a crimson trail wherever the man went. Dragging the carcass out of the pit, Ephraim started after the boys, and it would have fared roughly with them, but they fled. The old man reached his home and was almost dead from loss of blood, but his ambition had been realized—he had whipped a yearling bear in a fair fight.
The boys hid out in the woods for several days, and would not return until their father, whose joy at his success had got the better of his pain and anger, sent them word that he would not whip them if they returned.
Hatfield never wearied telling how he whipped a yearling bear, and his sons are equally proud of their father’s achievement.
References
- ↑ Jenny, Presnell (2000). "Hatfield, William Anderson (09 September 1839–06 January 1921)". American National Biography. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/anb/9780198606697.article.2001771.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Robertson & Davis 2009, p. 59.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Waller 2012, p. xiv-xv.
- ↑ Hatfield 1974, p. 185.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Rice 1982, p. 3.
- ↑ Alther 2013, p. 15.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Waller 2012, p. 35.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Waller 2012, p. 266.
- ↑ Waller 2012, p. 267.
- ↑ Michael J. Pauley (n.d.). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: Hatfield Cemeteries in Southwestern West Virginia" (PDF). State of West Virginia, West Virginia Division of Culture and History, Historic Preservation. Retrieved 2011-07-09.
- ↑ Jenny, Presnell (2000). "Hatfield, William Anderson (09 September 1839–06 January 1921)". American National Biography. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/anb/9780198606697.article.2001771.
- ↑ Hatfield 1974, p. 188.
- ↑ "Ephraim and the Bear". Columbus Daily Times. November 23, 1895. p. 3.
External links
This article "Ephraim Hatfield" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical. Articles taken from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be accessed on Wikipedia's Draft Namespace.