The lyrics in the Digital Tradition are almost exactly what I found in Doc's songbook, The Songs of Doc Watson (Oak Publications, 1971. Doc says he first heard the song sung by Dolly Greer. The book cites "additional words and music by Dolly Greer and Arthel "Doc" Watson. Copyright, 1967, 1971, Ryerson Music Publishers.
One major difference: the DT has:

She is just like a bud of rose

The Doc Watson songbook and recording (Vanguard Years box set) have:

She is just like a butter rose

There's a great recording of this song on the Voices of Winter CD by Priscilla Herdman, Anne Hills, and Cindy Mangsen - they also sing "butter rose," whatever that is.
This is one of those songs with a jillion versions - or at least it shares verses with a jillion different songs. It's called "Winter's Night" in The Folk Songs of North America (Alan Lomax) - very similar lyrics. It also has a lot in common with Lass of Roch Royal," Child #76.

Here's the Traditional Ballad Index entry for "My Dearest Dear":

My Dearest Dear

DESCRIPTION: "My dearest dear, the times draws near When I and you must part, And no one knows the inner grief Of my poor aching heart." The (girl) wishes that they could stay together; (s)he promises to love (him) till (s)he dies, and begs that he write to her
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1906 (Belden)
KEYWORDS: love separation lyric nonballad parting
FOUND IN: US(SE,So,SW)
REFERENCES (11 citations):
Bronson 76, "The Lass of Roch Royal" (23 versions, of which #18, #20, and #22 perhaps go here)
Belden, pp. 484-486, "Banishment" (1 text)
Randolph 18, "Oh Who Will Shoe My Foot?" (8 texts, 5 tunes; the "B," "D," "F," and "H" versions are of this sort); 760, "I Love You Well" (4 texts plus an excerpt, 1 tune) {#18F=Bronson's #18}
Davis-Ballads 21, "The Lass of Roch Royal" (of the various texts in the appendices, at least "G" seems to belong here) {Bronson's #20}
Brewster 90, "The True Lover's Farewell" (1 text, which despite the title appears closer to this song than that)
Sharp/Karpeles-80E 40, "My Dearest Dear" (1 text, 1 tune)
Fuson, p. 112, "When You and I Must Part" (1 text)
Abrahams/Foss, pp. 52-53, "Time Draws Near" (1 text, 1 tune)
Lomax-FSNA 108, "Winter's Night" (1 text, 1 tune, beginning with lyrics from this song but with final verses more characteristic of "The Storms Are on the Ocean")
Sandburg, pp. 126-127, "The Lover's Lament" (1 text plus a fragment, 1 tune)
DT, (REDREDR2)
Roud #3601
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Who Will Shoe Your Pretty Little Foot" (floating lyrics) and references there
cf. "Fare You Well, My Own True Love (The Storms Are on the Ocean, The False True Lover, The True Lover's Farewell, Red Rosy Bush, Turtle Dove)"
ALTERNATE TITLES:
A-Roving on a Winter's Night
Notes: This is basically a lyric piece assembled from all sorts of floating materials. The first two lines are characteristic; what follows can come from almost anywhere. Doc Watson sings a version which combines parts of this song (notably the verse "A-roving on a winter's night") with portions of "My Love Is Like a Red, Red Rose" (see DT REDREDR2). - RBW
File: SKE40

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The Ballad Index Copyright 2004 by Robert B. Waltz and David G. Engle.