In Seaport Town- Jane Gentry (NC) 1916 Sharp D
[Single stanza with music from Sharp and Campbell I, English Folk Songs from the Southern Appalachians I, 1917 and 1932. The 1932 notes follow. Gentry probably knew the family version from Watuaga Co. where she lived until she was 10. Cf. Mrs. Harmon; Frank Proffitt; Hattie Presnell.
Additional verses may be obtained from the version sung by her daughter, Mrs. Maud Gentry Long, of Hot Springs, North Carolina. (See: Smith book)
R. Matteson 2016]
No. 48. In Seaport Town.
Texts without tunes :—Journal of American Folk-Lore, xx. 259; xxix 168. Cox's Folk Songs of the South, p. 305 (see also further references).
Texts with tunes:—Journal of the Folk-Song Society, i. 160; ii. 42; v. 123. MissBroadwood's Traditional Songs and Carols, p. 28. Folk Songs from Somerset, No. 12 (also published in English Folk-Songs, Selected Edition, i. 4, and One Hundred English Folk-Songs, p. 4). Journal of American Folk-Lore, xxxv. 359.
Sharp diary 1916 page 277. Thursday 14 September 1916 - Hot Springs
On the ferry en route to Silver Mining Creek the ferryman told us his wife Mrs Roberts sang, so we called on her. She promised to stud up ready for us tomorrow morning. Then we went to a Mrs Hester House where we got quite a lot of good songs including Earl Brand etc. Then to Mrs Ellie Johnson. Directly after lunch we tackled Mrs Gentry and came home richly laden. So we made up for our blank day yesterday. Sat up late writing up books. Emma Hensley came to dinner with us at the hotel and behaved very nicely indeed. She is very homesick poor girl, but we bucked her up a bit I think.
D. In Seaport Town. Sung by Mrs. JANE GENTRY at Hot Springs, N. C, Sept. 14, 1916
Heptatonic. Mode 4, a + b (mixolydian).
In Seaport town there was a merchant,
He had two sons and a daughter dear;
Among them were a princy[1] boy,
Who was their daughter's dearest dear.
1. apprentice= prentice= prentcy