Good stuff, Steve. Yes, there are quite a few differences between the 19th century broadside copies.

The other factor I'm interested in is how the ballad got into North America in a form quite close to the English broadsides. If it was carried over by the 18th century settlers, that form must have been established by then, and it's interesting that there are pronounced similarities between the English and American tunes as well. Or is it possible a later broadside was printed or at least circulating in the US in the 19th century? The textual differences between the American oral copies would rather argue against that, though.