The Tragic Story of The Goldsmith Family Who Survived The Titanic Disaster

On April 15, 1912, the Titanic sank after hitting an iceberg in the North Atlantic, with nearly 1500 people still on board. Among the passengers were members of the Goldsmith family. Frankie Goldsmith and his family survived by boarding a lifeboat, but they faced many difficulties during the process. Frank John William Goldsmith was born on December 19, 1902, in England, and was the oldest child in his family. He had two younger siblings who died of diphtheria years before. Goldsmith believed that there would be more job opportunities in Michigan, so he decided to move to America. The Goldsmith family purchased third-class tickets for the Titanic, and they were not alone. They had two friends with them. While traveling, young Frank made friends with other children on board and spent much of his time exploring the ship. On the night of April 14, 1912, when the Titanic hit the iceberg, Frank Goldsmith felt the metal tremble as the ice melted. He woke up his son, his door, and his two traveling companions. Ten-year-old Frank and his mother were put on a lifeboat. According to Goldsmith’s book, 16-year-old Alfred Rush was also offered a place in the lifeboat, but he refused. Rush died there. Goldsmith could see the entire lavatory of the Titanic from the lifeboat. The Titanic began to sink slowly around 2 a.m. The real ordeal began when it took a few hours for the rescue ship Carpathia to arrive. At that time, 705 people were swimming in the icy waters of the North Atlantic. Anne Goldsmith and her son Frankie witnessed the sinking of the Titanic while floating on the boat. Although Frankie tried not to see it, the young boy witnessed the sinking of the ship. After the Carpathia arrived, it hosted 705 Titanic passengers. Conditions were difficult because there were not enough beds, and people slept on the floor with blankets. Anne Goldsmith spent all her time sewing clothes for the survivors and calming her child. When Frankie and his family arrived in New York, they traveled to Michigan for help. They settled in a house near Navin Field. Frankie was too young to know that his father had died. After growing up, Frankie wrote a book about the Titanic. In the book, he talked about how there was a baseball field next to his house, and he compared the screaming sounds from the field to the screams of the people on the Titanic. Therefore, he never set foot on that field. At the age of 23, Frankie married and became the father of three children. After moving to Ohio, he worked as a photographer during World War II. The book he wrote was published by the Titanic Historical Society in 1991. Frankie died at the age of 79 in 1982, and his last wish was for his ashes to be scattered where the Titanic sank.