The set of three articles by William E. Barton, "Old Plantation Hymns," New England Mag., Vol. 25 no. 4, Dec. 1898, pp. 443-455; "Hymns of the Slave and the Freedman," Vol. 25 No. 5, Jan. 1899, pp. 609-624; and "Recent Negro Melodies," Feb. 1899, Vol. 25 no. 6, pp. 707-719, are an important contribution to our knowledge of the songs sung by African-Americans in the last quarter of the 19th century (the author says most were collected in the South between 1880-1887). There are 54 "old plantation hymns," and in the 3rd article, songs of more recent origin. Music is given for the songs, and Barton comments on how they were sung.

Thanks, Masato, for citing "Motherless Child," which called my attention to these on line articles, which are a real complement to the collections of Allen and Fenner.