Kittridge (JAFL 1913) called it a british import and Sharp thought it was a comic version of "Lord Randall." Neither had the sheet music from 1847, nor did V. Randolph when he wrote up a 'folk' version in his Ozark Folksongs, vol. 1, pp. 391-393.
Clifford Johnson, What they Say in New England," 1897, was the first to print an American variant on the sheet music.

Yep, Sharp tried to steal this one for the Brits, but he was wrong.

I will check to see what else E. L. White wrote.