Francis Parkes, known as Frank, was a Harland and Wolff employee. He oversaw Titanic's maiden voyage. He died in the sinking. He was born in Belfast, Co Down, Ireland on November 8th, 1890. He was the son of James Parkes (b. 1851) and his wife Elizabeth, née Jervis (b. 1852). His father, a native of Co Tyrone, worked as a school attendance officer and was married to his wife Elizabeth, a Co Down native, in 1885. The couple had six other children besides Francis: Matthew James (b. 1887), Robert George (b. 1889), Charles (b. 1893), William Frederick (b. 1895), Elizabeth Mary (b. 1898) and Violet Maud (b. 1901). He grew up in an Church of Ireland household.