Well, then, Q, you're going against an awful lot of people who have published books and made recordings, who say otherwise, including Alan Lomax, as referenced in another thread. Johnny/Buttermilk is generally regarded as being a variation of Siul a Run, which is generally regarded as going back to the late 17th century. Where do you reckon all these people got that idea, if there wasn't a smidge of truth to it?

You are probably aware that oral tradition can be very hard to document, especially in a time period where there were no recording devices. The manuscripts and broadsides we wish we had, sometimes simply don't exist. Take Soldier's Joy for instance. Like the song in question, it is believed to go back a couple hundred years - but I've never seen any period manuscripts for it. Does that mean it wasn't around?