I've been looking at some ballad families in Virginia. Not only did the early settlers speak old English but for example Roby Monroe Hicks spoke some Cherokee dialect.

The House of Burgess was established in Jamestown in 1619. Tuckahoe Creek in Henrico County (now Goochland) was the home of Thomas Jefferson and also the home of Samuel Hicks whose son David forged to Valle Crusis (Beech Mountain) NC with his son "Big Sammy" and they passed the ballads down to the next generations. Council Harmon was the grandson of "Big Sammy" and Jane Hicks Gentry was his granddaughter, and I'll swanee pret soon hyre comes Ray Hicks with his pet groundhog!!

Richie