My Mom's "Grandma"

Today I went to visit my mom. Here is what she told me about her childhood.

She was raised on a farm in Sarah Ann, West Virginia. I already knew that. Here's what I didn't know. She mentioned her grandma, Betty Hatfield. I asked her who's mom it was because she has always told me that she didn't know who her grandparents were. It turns out that Betty Hatfield was not her actual grandmother. Betty Hatfield was a little, old, neighbor lady who lived on the farm next door.

She was too old to be left alone so that on Saturdays when her daughter Ocie Browning needed to go to the store she would call my Granny and ask if my mom (she was between 10 and 14 years old at the time) could come over and stay with her mom, Betty. Mommy loved Betty and would run the whole way to her house so they could spend the afternoon together. When Betty asked her, "Who's your grandma?" Mommy told her she didn't have a grandma. Betty told her, "Yes, you do. I'm your grandma."

Betty Hatfield was Devil Anse Hatfield's daughter. Devil Anse Hatfield was the leader of the Hatfield clan in the Hatfield and McCoy feud. Betty would tell mommy, " You musn't ever let anybody say anything bad about my daddy." (meaning Devil Anse) One day a show came on the television about the feud and Betty made her turn it off until the show was over. She wasn't mean about it, she just didn't want to hear anybody say anything bad about her daddy - which is understandable.

So that is the story of my mommy's grandma.