The album notes say,

A lovely Ozark song from the singing of Mrs May Kennedy of Springfield, Missouri. In the Cecil Sharp collection it is known as "Sweet Ellen".

I don't find it in the Vance Randolph Ozark collection books, nor the alternate in Sharp's English Folk-Songs from the Southern Appalachians.

There is a May Kennedy McCord of Springfield, Missouri, in the Max Hunter collection, but that song isn't listed there.

The LOC Archive of Folk Culture lists "AFS 5296A2-5303B3: Eight discs containing 35 songs sung by Mrs. May Kennedy McCord of Springfield, Missouri. Recorded October 21, 1941." in the Vance Randolph collection. The individual songs aren't listed, unfortunately. I'll bet that Sara got it there.

This appears to be the singer: May Kennedy McCord, "the Queen of the Hillbillies and the First Lady of the Ozarks." Looks like she was quite active as a folklorist and performer in the '40s into the '60s.

~ Becky in Tucson