Judy Collins got the 10,000 years verse in church. It's been in many hymnals published since 1910. So far as I know the earliest version of Amazing Grace with 10K years with it is in World Renowned Hymns, c1909 the arrangement was done by E.O. Excell. Excell did not write the verse, it is what is called a 'wandering' verse that had been attached as appropriate (or not as the case may be) to other hymns in the 19th century. The first time the words Amazing Grace were paired with the tune most of us know, that should go by the name New Britain, was The Southern Harmony, 1835.

The commentary to end all commentaries on this hymn is in The Hymnal 1982 Companion, (Episcopalian) it was done by Marion Hatchett. I am indebted to his article & some personal correspondence for the above & rest of this information. I've already given the most important.

A discussion on the fasola list a couple of years ago revealed that Hatchett had located the most commonly known version, including the 10,000 years verse as the 4th in a 1910 publication, arranged by E.O. Excell. I own a copy of World Renowned Hymns that I purchased for $0.75. I was pleasantly surprised to discover when I asked about it back then, that I was able to make a small contribution to scholarship on the hymn by changing that date to 1909. Some commentaries, including the Broadman (I think), mention a 1900 arrangement. It is also by Excell, but is slightly different & does not have the 10K verse.

Some books give the Sacred Harp as the source for the 10K verse because it was added to a different Common Meter hymn. My recollection of the commentary is that it has been found much earlier as an added verse to Jerusalem My Happy Home.

Except for the 1909 date, the commentary I mentioned above has all the details along with tracing the various versions of the tune beginning in the 1829. If seeing variant versions of tunes is your thing, it also reproduces 2 different ones found in 1829 Columbia Harmony.

I like that 23rd Psalm version to New Britain. I like Amazing Grace to the Sacred Harp tune Hallelujah & I like the words usually done to Hallelujah to a recently composed tune called Hallelujah New.