We often find ourselves fighting with our neighbours over silly issues, but this list of 10 family feuds would put your big-mouth-neighbourhood-aunt on shame.
Take a look for yourself into 10 real-life family feuds you’d never want to be a part of:
10. War Over Animal Grazing Land
In the heart of Arizona, two families – the cattle owners Grahams and sheep owners Tewksburys – got into an argument regarding grazing rights over the lands. Pretty soon, things got really sour when in February 1887 a Graham member shot a Native American who worked for the Tewksbury family. Next followed gun wars that went on for years, killing as many as 30 members of the warring families including some of their friends. The end to this feud came in the year 1892, when Edwin Tewksbury killed the last surviving Graham with a gun. Fortunately for Edwin, even after two trials he did not go to jail and died in 1902, satisfied of annihilating the Grahams.
9. Don’t Mess With Common Folks
James and Johannah Donnelly came to Canada in the 1840s and settled down in Biddulph. They were a rowdy family who soon grew in number and were generally disliked by the townsfolk. Not surprisingly, James got into a dispute with the neighbouring renter, Patrick Farrell and ended up killing him with a handspike in June 1857. Following this incident, James ran away but was later imprisoned while his children grew up as hot-headed hooligans who’d cause trouble for the common folks. Growing sick and tired of their notoriety, the townspeople on February 4, 1880 invaded Donnelly home and lynched James, Johannah and three other members.
Subsequently some arrest were made but since none of the common folks were willing to co-operate, no one was punished.
8. The Love Triangle
Once upon a time there was a wealthy cattle owner named Albert Boyce Jr. In Texas who was in love with the wife of another wealthy cattle owner named John Sneed. So in 1911 when Lena Sneed demanded divorce from her husband he packed her off to a mental asylum. Next, we had Boyce coming into the picture and rescuing her. They both successfully escaped to Canada while husband Sneed filed kidnapping charges. When nothing came out of the charges, Sneed killed Boyce’s father. This lead to his arrest and a subsequent mistrial that evoked a riot killing four people.
In a turn of events, one of Boyce’s worker committed suicide after killing Sneed’s father. This of course further enraged Sneed and finally in September 1912 he managed to kill Albert Boyce Jr. Though he was arrested for the murder but was later acquitted.
7. Family War Fueled War For Country’s Throne
Since the 1440s the Perceys and Nevilles had been at each others throats trying to establish their power and influence over northern England. Tension between the two families came to a boiling point when men belonging to the Perceys attacked a wedding entourage which led to their face-off in the Battle of Heworth in 1453. Clashed continued between even after the war and in the following year i.e. 1454 the Perceys sided with Lancastrians, the Nevilles became allies to the House Of York. Backed by these two powerful families, the civil war over the English throne known as The War of the Roses commenced.
6. Longest Running Korean Family Feuds
It all began in the 1700’s when the Yoon family discovered that the Shim family has buried their prominent member – a former Prime Minister – in the same gravesite where the Yoon’s had buried their prominent member – a 12th century general. Seriously, this is the cause that lead the two families destroy each others graves. The news when reached the Kings ears, he ordered punishment on the members of the two families and even sent off the two family heads to exile. But the feud continued. Only recently, the two families have tried the path of reconciliation when in 2008 the Yoons decided to donate a part of their land to the Shims. Though, sadly the transaction was halted by a local cultural commission reasoning that the transaction will destroy history.
5. The Feud That Lead To The Rise Of The Samurai Class
A battle of supremacy was fought in Japan during the mid 1150s between the Taira and the Minamoto. Following years of bloodshed, at one point the Taira family managed to install their 2 years-old grandson on the throne which lead to the 5 years Gempei War. At the end of this war the Minamoto succeeded and the baby emperor died along with his grandmother by drowning in the sea. When the leader of the Minamoto sat on the throne in 1192, Japan’s first shogunate was established and thus began the rise of the samurai class.
4. The World Renowned Shoe Manufacturing Brothers
Founders of Puma and Adidas, Rudolf and Adolph Dassler have a raging feud between themselves that started during World War II and has managed to continue even to this day. Their difference date back before the war but it was during the war that it intensified. The two brothers were looking for shelter and when Adolph found one, he discovered that it was already occupied by Rudolf’s family. Adolph then said ‘the dirty bastards are back again’ meaning the Allied planes that were bombarding right over their heads. But Rudolf misunderstood and thought that the comment was directed towards him and when the war was over he walked away from his brother and established his own company. Rudolf also held Adolph responsible for spreading rumours against him claiming that Rudolf was an SS officer.
It is said that even today, one can feel the tension between the two Dassler camps in their own hometown Herzogenaurach.
3. The Mizells And The Barbers
In 1870 Florida, tension rose between the exploiter Orange County Sheriff David Mizell and a rich staunch Confederate supporter and cattle owner Moses Barber. When Barber refused to pay government taxes Mizell decided to take away Barber’s cattle one by one as tax payment. Barber warned the Sheriff against setting a foot in his land which was repeatedly ignored. But in February 21, 1870, Barber had had enough of it and killed David Mizell. Before his death, Mizell made his family promise not to take revenge but some of the family members discarded his final wish and went on a revenge spree. As many as 8 people died but no one was convicted. This feud, unlike most other had a happy ending when in the 1940s a member of both the families decided to get married.
2. The Puntis And The Hakkas
The gravity of this feud was so intense that it ended up killing half a million people and displacing more than a million people. The two Chinese ethnic groups – the Punti and Hakka have been living peacefully for years until the Hakkas began receiving more importance from the emperor and the Puntis resented their rise of power. All hell broke loose when the Emperor encouraged the Hakkas to come and settle down beside the Puntis. Since 1897 an outright war broke out between the two groups that lasted for 12 years with devastating consequence. Finally, the government subjugated the rebellion and decided to move the Hakkas to some other place.
1. The Blood-Taking Albanians
In Albania, there prevails an old custom called ‘Gjakmarjja’ that literally means ‘blood-taking’ which allows Albanians to take revenge by killing people as a way to right a wrong. Quite evidently this is not a problem solving method and as a result an estimated twenty thousand Albanian families have members with death sentences hanging on their heads. Most of these families’ live sacred lives and rumours have it that some of the children are never allowed to leave their homes in fear of getting killed. Even toady the kids are taught about the ‘Gjakmarjja’ custom which just goes to say that this blood-cycle is a never ending one.
