Quick, Herbert 1861-1925 creator text utu 2004 monographic en 1 online resource : multiple file formats "Vandemark's Folly" by Herbert Quick is a novel written in the early 20th century. It tells the story of Jacobus Teunis Vandemark, referred to as J.T. Vandemark, who reflects on his experiences as the first settler in Vandemark Township, Iowa. The narrative is a blend of personal history and the broader story of settlement in the American West, exploring themes of hardship, resilience, and community. At the start of the novel, J.T. Vandemark is introduced as a narrator tasked with writing the history of Vandemark Township. He describes his skepticism about a commercial history project and the deceptive agent trying to profit from local pride. Encouraged by his granddaughter Gertrude to continue his history, he reminisces about his beginnings, life under the influence of his cruel stepfather John Rucker, and his arduous childhood in factories. The beginning establishes Vandemark's identity and sets the stage for his journey, detailing the pivotal events that shaped his life as he navigates both personal challenges and the ongoing movement of settlers toward the West. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Release date is 2004-04-01 Produced by Audrey Longhurst, Charlie Kirschner and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team. Original publication data not identified Frontier and pioneer life -- Iowa -- Fiction PS Original publication data not identified https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/12179 https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/12179 UtSlPG 260607 20260610133306.0 12179