Back to the Happy Wanderer, in the other thread, vern@verbalproductions.ab.ca, asked about copyright and author information. Well, that caught my curiosity. Apparently, it was a German song, written by Friedrich Möeller, as Mein Vater war ein Wandersmann.
From another site, Camp-fire Sing-Along ,it shows a bit of copyright informaion. Camp-fire Sing-Along version of Happy Wanderer.
At Brave Combo's Site, it lists as Credits "Ridge-Moeller", so it might be a fellow named Ridge did the translation.
One other site said it was popular in 1954, which was the year of my birth! Coincidence? I don't think so.