Regarding the question about "John Henry" and "John Hardy" being related songs, at one time there was confusion about whether John Henry and John Hardy were the same person. That was back in the early part of the twentieth century. Part of the confusion was due to John Hardy being a steel driver just as John Henry was. Also, in some documented versions of the ballads, stray verses from one song appear in the other song. But John Hardy was a different individual, a badman figure who was a murderer.