Roderick (Robert) Chisholm was born in Dumbartonshire, Scotland in 1872 to James and Sophia Chisolm. His family later moved to Ireland where he married Susan Anderson in 1896. Together, they had two children. One was Alyce in 1897 and Jimmy in 1898. Robert was a draughtsman for Belfast and helped Thomas Andrews design the TITANIC and her lifeboats. He was later chosen to go on the Guarantee Group which is a group of the builders chosen by Thomas Andrews to assist him on the maiden voyage. They were to inspect and make notes to improve the ship. Before he left, he gave his two sons each a penny. His job was to monitor any problems the ship might have. He was in 1st class and when the TITANIC struck an iceberg, he and his fellow builders couldn't prevent the sinking and it was his lifeboat davit design that allowed the boats to be lowered quickly. He however, died that night and his body was never recovered. The pennies that he gave his children are still in the family.
