The Buried Treasure; Or, Old Jordan's "Haunt"

"The Buried Treasure; Or, Old Jordan's 'Haunt'" by Harry Castlemon is a novel written in the late 19th century. The story centers on the impoverished Evans family, particularly focusing on Godfrey Evans and his two sons, David and Daniel, as they navigate their difficult lives in a post-war rural setting. The narrative introduces themes of aspiration, envy, and the struggle for survival, setting the stage for a quest involving hidden wealth. At the start of the book, we meet Godfrey Evans, who is frustrated with his family's dire circumstances after losing their wealth due to the Civil War. He expresses bitterness towards wealthier neighbors, particularly the Gordons, who appear to thrive despite the same challenges. Godfrey's son David is characterized by his ambition and determination to uplift the family's condition, in stark contrast to his father's despondency and bitterness. The opening chapters lay a foundation for the narrative's conflict, as Godfrey learns about a buried barrel of money from a former servant, setting off a chain of events driven by poverty, ambition, and the complicated relationships within the family. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Charles Austin Fosdick, better known by his nom de plume Harry Castlemon, was a prolific writer of juvenile stories and novels, intended mainly for boys. He was born in Randolph, New York, and received a high school diploma from Central High School in Buffalo, New York. He served in the Union Navy from 1862 to 1865, during the American Civil War, acting as the receiver and superintendent of coal for the Mississippi River Squadron. Fosdick had begun to write as a teenager, and drew on his experiences serving in the Navy in such early novels as Frank on a Gunboat (1864) and Frank on the Lower Mississippi (1867). He soon became the most-read author for boys in the post-Civil War era, the golden age of children's literature.