January 2010

        "How to get our rooster to stop waking us up at 4 o'clock in the morning?"

        "Oh, come on Grandpa.  We weren't talking about that when you showed me those pages of handwriting I couldn't read"

        "Yes, yes.  Now I remember.  I mentioned how *Ianthus Johnson's horse bolted down the hill, raced through *Albert Wings cornfield, and took off into the woods."

        "Grandpa, that's not funny.  You know we were talking about George West" said Marion.

        "Why, so we were.  Now I recall our conversation.  Yes!  Yes!"

        "Good.  Now come on and tell us what gigantic, monsterous things Mr. West did.  And you mentioned what he's going to do.  We want to hear all about him" said John.

        "Fine.  Let's go up on the porch where it's much more comfortable than here in the barn."

        Grandpa picked up his hammer, the bag of nails and the long pole he was using to fix the wall in the barn.  Nine year old Marion and ten year old Ben walked beside Grandpa. Ben was carrying Grandpa's big and heavy hammer.  Eight year old John, full of pep and energy, raced an ahead shouting, "Hurry up!  Hurry up!"  all the way up the hill and went into the house.

        After Grandpa was comfortably settled in his rocker, and Ben and Marion were sitting on Mother's soft rug, they looked expectantly up at Grandfather's smiling face.  Even his eyes were sparkling more than usual.  He was thinking about what great news he had for the children about his good friend, George West.

        "All right, Grandpa, start talking."

        Grandpa brushed a horse fly off his shirt sleeve and moved around a bit to get more comfortable in his chair.

        Looking right down into Ben's and Marion's faces, he began.

        "George was born in Devonshire, England on February 17, 1823.  His father was in the paper making business, so George learned about paper making when he was very young.  But he did not go to work in his father's business.  He became an apprentice with on of the most important paper manufacturers in England.  He didn't realize when he began this job that it would turn out to be the most important decision he would make in his whole life."

        "Why, Grandpa?  Why?  What was so great about that job?  He was just making paper."

        "Well, how does one million, 500 thousand dollars sound to you?"

        Ben said, "I never heard those words before.  That must have been a lot of money."

        "It most certainly was.  If we took all of the money from everyone of our neighbors and put it all together, we would not have a million dollars" said Grandfather.

        "Wow, how did Mr. West get so much?  How could he do it?  Did he do it all by himself?"

        "Yes, pretty much.  The ideas, the way to do it, were his own.  Of course there were many other people who helped by following his directions."

        "But how did he get started with all of this?"  Marion looked as puzzled as her voice sounded.

        "1749 is the quick answer."

        "What happened then to help him begin to make such a lot of money?"  asked Ben.

        "Well, his first job, after he came to this country from England, was in a large paper mill in New Jersey.  Then, after a few years, he moved right here to Saratoga County.  It almost seemed as if he had stepped on a magic carpet right here in our area."

        "A magic carpet?"

        Ben and Marion shouted these words in unison.

        "You don't mean a real magic carpet, do you, Grandpa?"

        "No, no.  But a real magic carpet, which doesn't exist of course, couldn't have done one bit better than my friend George did."

        "Come on, tell us more, Grandpa."

        "George worked very hard and used his money very carefully.  In this way he was able to keep buying other paper mills, bigger and better.  He bought the Empire Mill in Rock City Falls.  Then he built the Excelsior Mill, bought a mill in Watertown and purchased the Pioneer Mill.  His next move was to buy two paper mills in Middle Grove.  He always chose mills which were in a specific place."

        "Why Grandpa?"

        "Well, one word would almost, but not quite, answer your question."

        "One word?  What was that word?"

        "Kayadeross."

        "Kayadeross?  Why?"

        "How are the paper making machines made to operate in a mill?"

        Ben now looked puzzled.

        "How, Grandpa, how?  I don't know."

        "Again, I can give you a one work answer, water."

        "Oh yes!  I knew that" said Marion.  "They used water wheels to run the machines in the mills, didn't they?"

        Grandpa smiled.  "You are exactly right, Marion.  Do you remember when the Union Paper Mill was built after the big fire?  George had it built just as fast as the workers could go."

        "Yes."

        "And this mill was different from all the others."

        "A mill is a mill, isn't it Grandpa? How could this one be so different?"

        "This one was different because of an idea which George thought of and began using in the Union Paper Mill."

        "What idea?"

        "A square bottomed paper bag."

        "Why was that idea so good?"

        "Well, think about it.  I'll bet you can come up with an answer yourself."

        Marion's face lit up like an oil lamp.

        "I know!  I know!  If you fill up a square bottomed bag, it will stand up straight and not fall over."

        "You're perfectly right, Marion."

        "Do all the people who have mills along the Kayadeross make a million dollars?"  asked Ben.

        Grandpa laughed uproariously.   Then he grabbed the arms of his rocker and pulled himself up.

        "Come on.  Didn't you just hear your mother call us for supper.  That's the next part of this story.  I'm hungry.  Let's go eat."

*All names in this chapter are names of early Greenfield Citizens who lived in this community. See "Greenfield Glimpses" for more information.