Very interested in all this. Have always found this ballad and variants thereof fascinating. Sing Gordeanna's version myself. (and a lovely one it is too.)

Saw Peggy Seeger in concert a few weeks ago in Columbia SC while visiting there-- she's apparently living near Ashville NC? Maintains a website-- Why not ask her? I think if you did a search for her on the web the site would come up easily enough... She probably heard him sing it lots of times.

Bekki