I remember singing some version of “The Ballad of John Henry” when I was in grade school, but I don’t remember anyone explaining what it meant. Since we learned it along with silly songs like “Froggy Went a-Courtin’” and “Señor Don Gato,” it didn’t occur to me to wonder if John Henry had been a real person. 

But it did occur to historian, Scott Reynolds Nelson. Ain’t Nothing but a Man: My Quest to Find the Real John Henry is a children’s version of his book for adults on the same subject, Steel Drivin’ Man: The Untold Story of an American Legend.

Nelson says he had listened to hundreds of versions of the song and visited every place that could possibly be connected with it, but the trail was cold. Then, one day, he noticed a clue on an old postcard he had looked at thousands of times. From that clue, he takes the reader back to the very beginning of his search.

Chapter four is called “Following the Clues in the Song about John Henry.” And that is what is fun about this book. It’s about how a historian worked to solve a mystery, following leads for years before coming upon the one clue that was the key to the rest of the story.

Ain’t Nothing but a Man is a 60-page version of Nelson’s 200+ page book for adults. Every page has photographs or drawings to show locations and people of the post-Civil War era, and to illustrate what the railroad slang from the songs mean. 

Whether you care who the real John Henry was or not, this book is valuable as an example of how a historian works. Nelson researched, visited sites, and gathered evidence for years before he found what he needed. But that one clue would have meant nothing without all the work that had gone before. He wasn’t satisfied until he was sure he had followed every clue as far as he could. Even now, questions remain, and someday more evidence could prove or disprove his conclusions thus far.    

If you find the process interesting, the appendices are fascinating.

In “How to be a Historian” the co-author, Marc Aronson, lists the six stages of Nelson’s search:

1. Finding what is known already
2. Checking their sources
3. Finding gaps and disagreements and formulating your own questions
4. Looking for new evidence
5. Expanding the search
6. Sharing what you have found

He also lists “Suggestions for Further Reading” and “A Note about My Sources.”

Ain’t’ Nothing but a Man at Amazon.com.