The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #835   Message #1469509
Posted By: Q (Frank Staplin)
24-Apr-05 - 03:42 PM
Thread Name: Lyr Req: Little Mary Phagan/Phagen/Fagan/Fagen...
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mary Phagen or Fagen or Fagin ??
Newspaper accounts of the time all spelled the name Phagan, which is correct.
The name is usually spelt Fagan in North America, so that quickly became the spelling used in later song and story.
See "The Traditional Ballads Index" for versions and spellings as well as the threads, and the several articles in google ("Mary Phagan").