Well done, Barry! You leave me little to add but a quick reference to two books: Slave Songs of the Georgia Sea Islands by Lydia Parrish, who first visited the islands in 1912. This was first printed in 1942 and reprinted in about 1965 with an introduction by Bruce Jackson. Also look for Slave Songs of the United States by William Francis Allen, Charles Pickard Ware, and Lucy McKim Garrison. The original copyright was obtained in 1867, making this one of the earliest collections of traditional songs in the U.S. It was reprinted in 1929, and again in 1951. You can probably get these on inter-library loan. Or scan the used book sites on the Web. Good hunting!

Sandy