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Is there a way to check if William was legally/formally adopted by Connor & Henrietta Finney?

Yes I'd like to know.

That's very helpful. I think his assumed DOB was April 1921 but he wasn't sure.

I had previously noted Martha Corfe aged 9 in 1911 at  but her Mother is down as Hannah so I didn't pursue it. Suppose her father could have remarried??

The several trees which mention Connor Finney b.1878 and his wife Henrietta probably b. 1883 who married in Oswestry 1906 make no mention of any child.
The couple indisputably did raise a boy William as he was the father of my partner (nee Finney).

William Finney never established his date of birth and reference the General Register Office’s reply to his query -attached- he seemed to think that his biological mother’s surname was CROFT and that he was born sometime between 1919 and 1923 in or around Ellesmere Port, Cheshire.

Over 20 years later  in 1944 William’s biological mother wrote to to a relative of my partner  deeply regretting that she gave William away and wished William to know that his mother had enquired after him.  I attach part of the letter the mother wrote concerning William.

Somewhat problematically in the letter the biological mother called herself “Mattie” but volunteered the information that her Mother’s name was Mrs M Woods living at 7 Victoria Road, Higher Bebington, Cheshire. Now I have checked the election directories for 7 Victoria Road, Higher Bebington for 1939, 1945, 1946, 1947 & 1948 -there being no directories during WW2.
The occupants of 7 Victoria Road in those times were members of a family named Farwell there being no mention of a Mrs M Woods.

HOWEVER  in 1939 and in 1948 there were other male occupants named CORFE  with different forenames on different dates in the directories recorded as being there in addition to the permanent occupants. The 1939 register also shows two of the CORFES as occupying 7 Victoria Road Bebington along with the Farwells.

 I strongly suspect that William Finney mistakedly thought his biological mother’s name was CROFT rather than CORFE and that is why his query to the GRO was fruitless. The letter from Matty is dated 1944 i.e. when no information on occupants permanent or ‘passing’ is available. So  if  “Matty’s” mother’s name  was  M. CORFE when she had Mattie and later married a WOODS that may be an explanation.

Could the Martha CORFE who married Robert WOODS  in July 1927 in Birkenhead be Matty’s mother? If so can Mattie be a Martha or maybe a Matilda CORFE?

All of the above is centred around a relatively small area of Cheshire/Wirral. Connor and Henrietta spent their last years in a permanent home in Great Sutton also on the Wirral and are buried there. Hope the attachments can be read O.K. If not I need some guidance on that.
/Users/ians/Desktop/GRO letter 1969.JPG/Users/ians/Desktop/MATTIE TO PAT p1.JPG Mattie P3.JPG