mg, you are correct: "Carry Me Back to Old Virginny" was written by James A. Bland (1854-1911), an African-American, and published in 1878. Bland was a famous performing minstrel, and so the song was presumably crafted to appeal to audiences of minstrel shows, but he himself was never a slave. He was born in Flushing NY to a free family, educated in Washington DC, and a graduate of Howard University in 1873. He also wrote "Golden Slippers" and over 700 other songs.

IMO it just goes to show to what ends an African-American of that era had to go to make a living. Unfortunately his actions helped perpetuate the pre-emancipation stereotype of the happy slave (see the Pro-Slavery Songs thread for examples).