Hatfields: for the most part, intelligent but....

Having married a Hatfield I gained some additional perspective on the family.
For one thing, the movie, "Hatfields vs. McCoys," seemed to comport fairly well with the Hatfield family's version of the feud years.

Based on my exposure to some of the Hatfields and the information they've shared regarding many of their ancestors, I have always believed the clan to possess an innate intelligence which may just as easily be perceived as "cunning," particularly when applied to the 19th century mountain folk portrayed in the film. From early on, the Hatfields boasted politicians (according to my ex's Hatfield mother), doctors, lawyers and other professionals.

Despite their good minds, the volatile temperament of some of the Hatfields as depicted in the movie impressed me as quite authentic. In fact, many of the Hatfields I have known possessed very angry dispositions which could also be described as "unstable" personalities.

The movie featured the Hatfield family's successful logging business which suggested the clan's ambitious natures and good business sense. It did not, however, touch on a less flattering trait: their preoccupation with money.