[2] Smyths mother was from old-line Bangor stock, and she spent summers in the insular coastal hamlet of Islesford, Maine.
Their second book, British Ballads from Maine: The Development of Popular Songs with Texts and Airs (1929), lists Barry as an editor.
[2] She described to the Bangor Daily News the patience, persistence, and luck that she (and Eckstorm and Barry) needed in conducting fieldwork.
According to Smyth, many people were surprised that anyone would be interested in their old songs, and relationships and trust had to be built over time before sources would open up.
One trick Smyth employed would be to sing a song wrongly on purpose, knowing that few could maintain silence in the face of that, and would jump in with their version.