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Letter, 22 February 1887
Item
Samuel Hickling Parkes was born on April 8, 1817, in Birmingham, Warwickshire, England.
He was a businessman and amateur astronomer. His father, James Parker ((1786-), began manufacturing optical and mathematical instruments and supplies in 1815. His only son Samuel became a partner in about 1823, forming J. Parkes and Son. Recognizing the burgeoning market of students and middle-class amateurs, they focused on inexpensive instruments, e. g., microscopes, slides, measuring tapes, land chains, mathematical instruments, compasses, watch keys, seals, etc. With a wide interest in science, Parkes built an observatory at his home at Kings Norton (1865-1885), housing a 5-inch refractor telescope. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society in 1882. He published "Unfinished Worlds. A study in Astronomy" (1888).
In 1845, he married Emma Lloyd Kershaw (1818–). He died on August 12, 1896, in King's Norton, Worcestershire, England.
Letter from S.H. Parkes to John William Dawson, written from Birmingham.