Hi, Jack. According to Osborne's mini-biography, Joseph Tosso was born in Mexico City in 1802. He was a child prodigy and came to the U.S. in 1817 after advanced musical study in Paris.

Osborne believes that Tosso made the "Arkansaw Traveler" his trademark as early as 1841 - early for the tune. He quotes a previous writer:

"He could take his violin from beneath his chin, place it against his breast, begin to sway rhythmically, and play a good backwoods tune with as much grace as he had the moment before played a classic. ...He played to please his audience, for he thought it better to create and encourage a genuine love of music, even the simplest kind, than to discourage it by playing classics to unappreciative ears."

A 2009 article on Tosso:

http://kentoncountyhistoricalsociety.org/data/documents/July-August-2009.pdf