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My father & aunt (twins) were born in 1947 in Hereford. Parents on their birth cert are Geoffrey Percival Cooke and Phoebe Elizabeth Cooke maiden name Holmes. They were adopted in 1948 to a wonderful family in Birmingham. I have two sets of papers to do with the adoption. The first has the names of who was to attend the court hearing, these were the adoptive parents from Birmingham, Geoffrey P Cooke living in Hereford, Phoebe Davies (not Cooke) living in Cleethorpes and Walter William Davies living in Rednal, Worcester. The second paper is the court awarding the adoption to the Birmingham family, the twins birth parents being named as Geoffrey Cooke again but mother Phoebe Elizabeth Cooke otherwise known as Davies. Using the info of the papers I have I first trawled 1837.com for a marriage for Phoebe Holmes and Geoffrey but can not find one. I did find a marriage to Walter Davies in 1934 in Grimsby. I didn't think this could be Phoebe until I read the papers again and found that Walter's name was called for court. I then trawled again through 1837.com for a marriage between Phoebe Davies and Geoffrey Cooke but still can't find one. Did she marry him? If not why has she named herself Cooke on the Birth cert and the final adoption paper? She was named as Davies on the other court paper though, I’m confused as I would have thought on official papers she would have a consistent name. Why was Walter Davies called to court? He was not named as the twins father and did not live with Phoebe. When and where was Geoffrey, Phoebe and Walter born? I have sent for the marriage cert for Phoebe and Walter in Grimsby so at least I might get an age and fathers names but I won’t get a birth place. But what about Geoffrey, how do I get info on him? There is a Geoffrey Percival Cooke birth for 1903 in Hereford but has another one been born later? Is that where he is from? I have not as yet found a death for him. The story is that the twins were adopted because their mother was young, unmarried and could not afford to keep them. I don’t think so!!!! Any advice, info, help etc would be very much appreciated to be able to go back just a step further, all I’m doing now is asking myself questions and going nowhere. Thanks. Trixie

maybe Phoebe Davis and William Davies are Phoebe's parents. Are these birth names or adotive names we are talking about - they may have been born with completely different name Please also bear in mind that Phoebe the birth mother (although i am completely confused i must admit) may still be alive ....and posting this message may have implications jess

Hi Jess, I have only used real names. The twins (my father & aunt)were named cooke, parents Geoffrey & Phoebe, they were changed to Burton when they were adopted by the Burtons.

So have you got their COOKE birth certificates? what do they say? jess

Who was the informant of the births? Geoffrey should not have been named as the father, (unless he was present at the registration)if the couple were not married. Do you have actual addresses for the people attending court? Could you look at electoral lists for that time and see who else is at those addresses? Geoffrey seems to definitely be the father of the twins. Their mother Phoebe, nee Holmes may have been married to Walter William or he could have been her step father, (and she was later known by his name?) Perhaps he was called to say that he wouldn't support her children, so they were free for adoption. Phoebe may have been working in the Hereford area or banished there to have the twins away from her home area. Perhaps it was just beyond the means of Geoffrey and Phoebe to be able to support the twins. I'm intrigued. Please let us know how you get on with this.

Yes Jess, I have both birth certs. I have them named as Cooke, parents Geoffrey Percival Cooke & Phoebe Elizabeth Cooke, maiden name Holmes, born Hereford and time of birth. I also have the cert as Burton, issued after the adoption again born Hereford and same time of birth. Trixie

I did wonder if Geoffreys father was her employer Has the mother Phobe actualy signed anything with her own name - as in a signature? I am just wondering- as another senario -if Geoffrey the father was there as father , and her Parents representing her, as maybe she had died..maybe my imagination has run away with me Jess

Phoebe was the informant and was living at the same address as Geoffrey in Hereford according to the cert. Geoffrey was a builder and Carpenter (journeyman)

Were the twins born at the home address of Geoffrey and Phoebe?

I think the Davies pair are Phoebes mother( also called Phoebe) but maried to Mr Davis (Phobes step - father). Maybe the 1934 marriage is that of her mother, Phoebe Elizabeth being birth mother Phoebe, Phoebe Elizabeth's mother

Jess I was wondering if that was how it was, too.

My father recons he met his mother when he was a teenager but does not remember much about the visit, only that it was somewhere by the sea. I have no signatures, the copy of the Birth cert is typed out and so are the court papers, the only signatures are of the Justice of the Peace on the court papers. The marriage in 1934 was between Phoebe E Holmes and Walter W Davies.