I too heard this lullaby as a child. - My father sand it to all his 19 grandchildren. It has now been sung through three generations of children - in Australia!!! a far cry from the deep southern American cottonfields and slave singers of yesteryear. Just recently on a Classical Music Station in Sydney, Australia, I heard Paul Robson singing quite a lovely version of this song. I'm sure I could find out details and record numbers if you are interested.
Sincerely - Ruth van Herk.