A very good movie and surprising that it is sticking so close to the real history. That was a rough part of the country. It still is. The folks there will tolerate a visitor for a day or so, but beyond that, you are not “from” there, and thus the subject of suspicion. Great place to go see the history though.
Most rural areas, you have to prove yourself. Now in my old area (North Michigan), you won't be driven out, but you got to make it through a couple of winters to really be "one of us".
In 2000 Mr. Mercat and I went to Jessamine County KY to find an old graveyard where my ancestors are buried. Jessamine is one, maybe two counties west of where the Hatfield/McCoy feud happened. We drove for hours on tiny little golf cart roads in our rented motor home. We ended up in front of a one room store, no proprietor but unlocked, with two old boys out front on the loafers bench. They not only knew where the graveyard was but one of them had helped dig the most recent grave which was, I think, in the early 50s. He said it was in July and hot and dry and they dug all day and when they had about gotten deep enough they came upon someone else who got there first so they had to fill it up and start over. So we took their directions and drove on and found the place where the two old folks who were working on it stood, staring at us like we were from Mars. The woman showed us not only the graveyard but where the log cabin had been, apologizing for the fact that her cattle had pushed it over. I have a worked stone rock from the chimney sitting on my shelf. Years later, we were named as respondents in a quiet title because the people who had been working that piece of _______ forsaken land for generations had never had title to it. In fact, no one had. My sixth great grandfather had homesteaded but no one every troubled to deed it.
Your reply was very interesting. My gradmother’s family was from Harlan, KY and it was told to me we still had family in the mountains, but to visit you’d have to call so and so who in turn would get with someone else who would make a point to go and visit with the kin in order to make sure you wouldn’t get shot paying a visit. Tough is right and maybe a still or two involved. :)