As for the accuracy of songs and songwriters, I'm going to steal one of George Ward's experiences: He sings many songs about local (for him) history, htat is, upstate New York. He sings a broadside ballad concerning an incident from the "anti-rent troubles, 1839-1846". The song gives a very specific description of the incident, naming names, etc. When he sang the song near where the action took place, he was taken aside afterward, and an audience member explained that the song was wrong, and told him what *really* happened. Remember, we're talking more than 150 years after the fact; something that isn't mentioned specifically in the state history books the children use in school.