Ians information is correct, but a bit out of date. I looked at the origins thread & realize that I did not make the 1829 information as clear as I could have.

The earliest date known for the tune being in the 1831 Virginia Harmony has been around at least since the 1960's when William Reynolds reported finding it there. This information has since been superceeded by 2 versions having been found in Benjamin Shaw and Charles H. Spilman's Columbian Harmony (Cincinnati, 1829).

A hymnologist friend has concluded from examining all of the versions that both Columbian Harmony settings are independent of the one in Virginia Harmony. [ie different enough from each other to be different arrangements of a tune already in circulation.]

Quoting from an e-mail from Marion Hatchett:
One of these tunes was called GALLAHER, and this was picked up by later books, as early as 1831 in Robert Willis' Lexington Cabinet (Louisville, 1831). The more highly ornamented version called ST. MARY'S was apparently never reprinted. Both versions are reproduced in my [Hatchett's] article on this tune at Number 671 in The Hymnal 1982 Companion (New York: Church Hymnal Corporation, 1994, Vol. III B, pages 1238-1243. This article lists the first several books in which differing versions of this tune were printed under various titles.

I do have photocopies of "Gallaher" & "St. Mary" from the Hatchett article. Where can I find "Loving Lambs?"