Biography of Thomas Hugh PARKER
[Ref. Q.103]
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Biography of Thomas Hugh PARKER
[Ref. Q.103]
| Ancestors | |
Profile | |
Website | |
Index for PARKER |
Thomas Hugh Parker was born on 16 September 1871 at Coalbrookdale near Ironbridge in Shropshire, one of the ten children of Thomas and Jane Parker. At the time of the 1881 census, the family were living 70 Alexandra Street in the Lady Wood district of Birmingham.
Thomas inherited his father's inventive mind. The census of 1891 shows him as a pupil electrical engineer whilst still living with his parents at Newbridge House, Newhampton Road in Wolverhampton.
In 1891 Thomas was appointed as Chief Electrical Engineer to the Australian Colonies. In 1896 he was in South Africa to supervise the erection of electrical and general plant in the Transvaal goldfields.
On 28 February 1899, Thomas read a paper entitled Some new features in motor vehicle Design to the Liverpool Self-propelled Traffic Association at the Royal Institution. He illustrated the address with slides and diagrams and a full account of this was published in The Autocar magazine on 11 March . The address detailed the process of his design, experimentation and construction of a battery power vehicle. Thomas included information on his patent suspension wheel and also the story of the electric bus designed and build for the London Electric Omnibus Company. The March 1899 edition of The Automotor and Horseless Vehicle Journal also carried a report of the address.
On 27 April 1900, Thomas married Constance Mabel Banks, daughter of George and Emma Banks of Stourport in Worcestershire. The census of 1901 shows the couple living at Highnam, Lyndhurst Road, Wolverhampton.
During 1901 Thomas engaged in the building of a steam powered car at the works of the Wearwell Motor Co.
Son Broughton George Parker was born in Wolverhampton on 5 April 1901. Leslie Theodore Parker was born at Middlewich on 1 July 1902 and Howard Edward Parker in Fulham on 4 November 1905.
At this stage, Thomas was an electrical and mechanical engineer. The census of 1911 shows Thomas as a consulting engineer and living with his family at 44 Mortlake Road at Kew Gardens, Richmond in Surrey.
During the 1940's, a number of newspapers carried articles regarding some of the achievements of Thomas.
Thomas passed away on 4 May 1948 at which time he had been living in obscurity at 10 Stocks Lane in East Wittering, Sussex. Letters of Administration were granted on his estate on 11 June 1948, the gross sum being £631 0s 9d. His wife Constance survived him by ten years.
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