In this photo, William Anderson “Devil Anse” and Levicy Hatfield are shown from their elder years. In fact, this may be one of the last photos taken before Anse’s passing in 1921.
One of 18 children born to Ephraim and Nancy Hatfield, William Anderson “Devil Anse” Hatfield was known to be an excellent marksman and rider.
It was said that Anse was so strong and fierce that he could take on the devil himself, which is supposedly where his nickname came from. In 1861, Hatfield married Levicy Chafin, the daughter of a neighboring farmer. But he spent little time with his new bride, quickly signing up to support the Confederacy during the Civil War. A natural-born leader, he headed up a local militia with his uncle Jim Vance, which was known as the Logan Wildcats.
After the war ended, Hatfield settled down with Levicy and turned to farming, cutting timber and buying real estate. The couple eventually had 13 children together.
Ambitious and aggressive, Hatfield had one of the most successful timber businesses in the area. He vigorously defended his interests, even taking a man to court because he reportedly cut timber from Hatfield’s lands. Hatfield won his suit against Perry Cline, a friend of and relative-by-marriage to Randolph “Randall” McCoy, his future nemesis. Like the Hatfields, the McCoys had been early settlers in the area, but mostly lived on the Kentucky side of the river.
— Source/citation: Biography, article title, “Devil Anse Hatfield Biography”