1) thanks for all the info so far. The background links are definitely helpful and interesting. The sheet music one seems to be a compositon much later than 1820's. The Levy site is unavailable.

2? Bodleian Library??? One item mentions "There's a whole collection of Broadsides in the Bodleian Library" I guess bradside means a kind of newspaper. But what's the Bodleian Library? Or rather, where is it? and how can I get info I need from it?

3) on the pbs site (Stephen foster) there is also some background info on this. Jump Jim Crow was not only a song but a dance.

4) I'd like to find out the lyrics to the original song, which was called, as far as can understand by in info in the various sites: "Jump Jim Crow"