Ruth Dewitt Bukater had been born just after the civil war to money and power in the hub of Philadelphia. She was raised by a host of nannies mostly.

She had met Robert Bukater when she was but sixteen and had married three days short of her eighteenth birthday. They lived a lavish lifestyle never going anywhere anything but first class The spent money as though it was water and had nothing to do with anyone who was of a lower class than they were.

She thought that the lives of anyone below here were worthless and that everyone owed her a living. But, on February 19, 1895 she gave birth to her daughter Rose. She gave Rose her middle name that had been Ruth's maiden name. Rose had everything that a young girl could want. She attended the most prestigious private schools of the area.

But just short of Rose's thirteenth birthday Robert Bukater died suddenly from a heart attack. He had all the appearances of a healthy man, but his heart stopped while he was at work.

Ruth's world fell in more than one way that day. She not only lost her husband leaving her a widow. When she met with the lawyers about the estate she was told that she had no money. When her husband had died he had made many bad investments and she had spent the money every cent of it.

This was the worst thing that could happen to a woman. She had no way to make money and she was now forty years old. She was too old to find a good man she thought. Then she thought of Rose. Yes, indeed Rose was could be their key to money. That is when she started to make plans to find her daughter a suitable husband.

Finding the proper suitor took cunning and a lot of investigation. It was then that she found Caledon Hockley. He was almost thirteen years Rose's senior, but he was rich and was due to inherit all of his father Nathan Hockley had. It was rumored to be millions and Ruth could taste it.

Ruth used her standing in the community to arrange that the two met. She pushed for them to get engaged and made an arrangement with his father. Nathan Hockley had been disturbed by the way his son was acting and was looking for a good wife for his son. Rose, who was from Philadelphia herself was a good woman. He thought that his son might settle down and become a man.

However, Nathan Hockley had done an investigation into the Bukater family and knew that they were in financial ruins. Ruth had inherited money and name from her family, but her husband had spent all of his money and hers. He knew that Rose would do whatever he or Cal asked of her, because she would have no point. He was pleased with the arrangement indeed.

Cal had met Rose at a formal gathering and had been impressed with the young lady right away. He knew how to get his way and soon was seeing her nearly everyday. To Ruth's delight he asked Rose for his hand in marriage. He then had booked passage back to America on the most luxurious of ships the Titanic.

Ruth worried day and night about money. It consumed her and just six months short of Rose's graduation she had pulled Rose from the school that she had attended her whole life.

Ruth told her friends that the reason a young girl went to school was to find a suitable husband and Rose had met Cal. She didn't need an education anymore. Rose was going to be a high member of society and she knew how to act and hostess. Ruth had been made sure that Rose had been raised right.

But things had not been going well for Ruth. Rose was rebellious and had no interest in Cal. It was all Ruth could do to get Rose even interested in the wedding or the invitations. She just brushed her mother off whenever she spoke of anything to do with the wedding.

Ruth begged Rose to be reasonable. She was broke and so wasn't Rose. With the marriage of Rose and Cal she and Rose could continue to live the type of lifestyle that they were used to. She reminded her daughter that they were broke and that they were on the verge of losing everything.

Rose listened but thought her mother was being selfish. 'Yes' she reasoned to herself. 'She was thinking of herself but she was also thinking of her daughter and her future grandchildren. Ruth thought that Cal was the answer to all her problems.

But then the biggest nightmare that Ruth could imagine happened. Rose met a boy, a young bum while on the Titanic. He was a third class passenger and looked as though he only owned one outfit. He did drawings for a living and had slept under a bridge the other day.

Ruth begged Rose to forget Jack and stay with Cal. She thought that she had been successful until that fateful night April 14, 1912. The Titanic hit an iceberg and Jack and Rose had walked into the suite where she was staying. They were holding hands and Ruth melted.

As she boarded the lifeboat Rose had refused to get in. Ruth begged her to get in and called her name until she was hoarse. When she was picked up with the other passengers Ruth had looked for days for her daughter. But, she was nowhere to be found. Her daughter's body was never found either. She and over one thousand people were never seen or heard from again.

Ruth got off the Carpathia in New York and headed back home broke and dejected. She never saw the lady from third class who disembarked to make a new life for herself.

Cal had nothing more to do with Ruth and she found herself alone, broke and friendless.