Parallel Anthology Track 64

Track 64: Mr and Mrs Ernest V Stoneman - The Mountaineer's Courtship  Okeh 45125; Recorded in New York, 12.5.1927

No image of record label available. Neither Anthology booklet assigns authorship, nor does www.78discography.com.

The Roud Folksong Index classifies this song as a version of Roud 313. A Roud number search returns several versions which pre-date the Stonemans' recording, all from England, with one dating back to the 18th century.

According to the Where Dead Voices Gather blog, "Some sources claim that the song goes back as far as the 1600s", while the Old Weird America blog claims that it "has its origin in an old British ballad from the 17th century called 'Nicol O’Cod'".

The tune used for this song is the same as the nursery rhyme "The Old Grey Goose" or "Go Tell Aunt Nancy"

In any case, there are very good grounds for treating this composition as public domain.

Parallel anthology main index page

Alternative versions
The Mountaineer's Courtship by Peggy Seeger and Guy Carawan   recorded in 1958: On album "America at Play"

Buffalo Boy by Theodore Bikel   recorded in 1961 (according album's subtitle): Spotify   Unable to determine whether any arrangement credit is claimed for this version.

Go Tell Aunt Rhody by Woody Guthrie   recorded in 1944 (according to liner notes): Spotify   The liner notes for this album credit this song as "traditional"

Go Tell Aunt Nancy by Mrs Shirley Lomax Mansell   recorded in 1939: Library of Congress   Field recording

The Old Grey Goose by the Carolina Tar Heels   recorded in 1929 (according to RFSI): Spotify   victor.library.ucsb.edu does not claim any arrangement credit for this version.