I am so pleased with your writing about this well remembered folk song which is not so easy to sing. I don't remember who wrote this song but I think some of the words were written about the time of the US war in the 19 century. The first time I heard that tune was about the time I started school in 1986 but I didn't know what song one of my friends were singing. Many of my mates knew the tune but not as the song most folks know today. I also heard a thing that is a writing credited to Steven Foster on the song but even I know that is not true. I think Dan Emmett wrote some of the verses but not all. For all you folks who heard about the song and the names of who wrote it, you were very knowledgeable about some names of the writers. The writers may well never be found at all, but what you will find is more songs written to the same tune with names of difrent singers and writers the year they were written. The reason you it hard to find a proper name who wrote Polly Wolly Doodle is that the song could date back to the 1850s or before.