I have been in contact with the folk singer Andrea Stader--- she's on Facebook--- the one who has a 'Ballad of the McDonald Boys' on her CD 'Lady of the Harbor'.
Andrea tells me that her song is an original composition of hers. One of her 4th grade students, Johnny Spies, brought the photo (of the lynching I presume) in to share with the class. She was interested so she looked up the account in the Spies Library in Menominee, Michigan.
You can buy the CD online at CD Baby. You can also listen to a short clip from the song. It seems to be a very high quality professional production and so would be well worth owning for anyone with an interest in Menominee local history or anyone who likes folk music.
TO AVOID CONFUSION: There is another song called Ballad of the McDonald Boys, also known as Song of the McDonald Boys--- which is the source of the name of this blog. It was a traditional song. The lyrics were published in the Journal of American Folklore in 1963. Author of the article recorded the song from the singing of John W. Green in 1956. The article is online at http://www.jstor.org/pss/537934 but they want $10 for it. I am going to the Anuta Research Center in Menominee this Wednesday and am going to ask if they have a copy of this article. I know they have a copy of the song lyrics, hand written. Will post a copy of the lyrics online. The song is very similar to one about the hanging of the assassin of Pres. Garfield, so I presume they both use the same tune.
Andrea Stader's Web Site
Lady of the Harbor CD at CD Baby
Lady of the Harbor CD at Amazon.com
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