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  1. Hi Dorothy,welcome to the forum! My elderly friend's Husband ran a sawmill , with her help,down at Guidepost,in the old days....she is now 92 years old,and still goes to the Christian Fellowship at the Coffin Chapel,in Bedlington town centre. She also helps to run the coffee morning and "drop-in",at the Coffin Chapel,every Thursday morning,and the craft class in the same afternoon,where she is also actively involved in putting up shoe boxes for the needy third world children,which just runs throughout the year..non-stop voluntery work! She is my Wife's friend really,but all of my Wife's friends are my friends also,and "Old Edna",is always telling us stories about the old days at the sawmill...how it was hard work. I will ring her as soon as I can,and ask her if she can enlighten me about your family history..she might just help ..she is extremely fit and active,with a memory like a hen! She can be found in the Coffin Chapel,every Thursday,and if you dropped in for a coffee and chat,in the morning,you will be pleasantly surprised at what a friendly,helpful bunch of people,they are,who volunteer to run the service for the people,and visitors,to our lovely town! From what Edna has told me,over the years,I always thought that her Family's sawmill was at the bottom of Sheepwash bank,adjacent to the Anglers Arms pub..somewhere in that vicinity. When you look at the size of the plantation on the old maps,it appears to me that a few people would have set up business in the timber trade,seeing as all the "new" collieries were being developed,most prominentally in that area being the Choppington "A"..[low pit],and Choppington "B" ..[the "High Pit"],where I worked as a young lad...and the pits depended on the timber for coalface and roadway supports underground. Million was the name of my old friend's family,and one of that family is on the visitor's information notice board,which stands at the former entrance to what was Choppington "B" colliery,now known as "Choppington Woods".[up Morpeth road past Alex Scott's garage,aboot a quarter of a mile on the left side of the road.] There are old historical pictures of Choppington collieries,and John Million is pictured along with his "Marra's"..[mates],underground,at the coalface,taken somewhere around the late 950's,I guess,cos I was a young heavy transport lad,aged 16 yrs,in 1960,and I clearly remember all the fellas in the pic,as looking exactly like they are,on the pic,when I worked there..at that time... John Million was the Brother of Tom Million,whe ran the sawmill ,so if the mill had been started by their Parents,and possibly THEIR parents..then we would be looking back to the mid-1800's. Can't promise owt,but aal dae wat a can ,Dorothy,and a hope ye can find oot a lot aboot your Family's roots!! Cheers,Bill.
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