Hi,

The informant of "Johnson and Coldwell," Mackenzie's B version of Child 88 is David Rogers, who was mentioned in Quest, 1919 as an informant in connection with Pretty Polly (Child 4): The only additions which I made after my interview with John were variant versions of two stanzas, supplied by an old neighbor of Little Ned's named David Rogers, whom I discovered in a town about twenty miles away. David's recollections of the ballad were slim, as the paucity of his contribution will indicate, but he made up in part for this by an earnest assurance that whatever he supplied was sure to be right.

Rogers contribution to Mackenzie's compilation of Pretty Polly (Child 4) was first published in 1909 (Three Ballads from Nova Scotia by W. Roy Mackenzie; The Journal of American Folklore, Vol. 23, No. 89 (Jul.- Sep., 1910), pp. 371-380). He is called David Rogers of River John (Mackenzie's hometown). The article was likely encouraged and introduced by Kittredge while Mackenzie studied at Harvard.

No mention of Rogers' "Johnson and Coldwell" is made in 1919. Although it's possible the book was completed before 1919- it shouldn't have been 10 years. The point being that Mackenzie (b. 1883 at River John) would have the opportunity to have known Rogers repertoire before Quest.

Richie