The evolution of the term "Fiddler's Green' must be taken into account.
1826- 'Fiddler's Green' first appeared in print as a destination for farm animals.
By 1836, W. H. Maxwell, in the novel "Capt. Blake," noted "It is ...believed that tailors and musicians after death are cantoned in a place called 'Fiddler's Green.'
Marryat, 1856, in "Snarleyyow" ("Dog-fiend") wrote, "We shape a course for 'Fiddler's Green'" (The hero is the ship's dog).

Whether the 'Fiddler's Green' in "Billy Patterson" (1860) referred to a final destination for sailors, or for animals, minstrels and Negroes, is not clear.

Not until later (1883) did the meaning, in print, shift mainly to the nautical side. D. J. Kelly, writing in "Harper's Magazine," specified that 'Fiddler's Green' was "where all good sailors go."