G'day Bill D,

Thanks for that. I may not have got across that, as an Australian without a really deep knowledge of American performers I don't know anything about this family. I would still like to know where (what state, at least) they lived and it would be nice to know more about the depth of family links.

I am working on a running presumption that this song got to America in just the same way as it got to Australia: as a popular song in London at the exact time that so many people upped sticks and headed for somewhere that they might make a fortune. Some idea of the time of its arrival in America ... and whether it is still remembered ... and in which regions ... might help me see if this is a good theory or not.

Regards,

Bob Bolton