Robert was Sean and Heather's first son and was able to help provide for the family in Montreal through a series of odd jobs. After reaching adulthood and saving enough money for the trip, Robert left Canada for the United States because he had heard of tremendous opportunities to become wealthy there. Robert crossed Lake Superior and settled in an industrial section of Chicago commonly referred to as the "Back of the Yards". Robert secured a job in a pickling factory and eventually worked his way up to the skilled position of "splitter". The splitter's job was to split the carcasses lengthways so they could be butchered. Chicago in the 19th century was split up into many different ethnic groups and Robert lived in the Irish section of the city. Robert was a lonely man and although he spent most of his nights drinking with friends from his neighborhood at the local pub, Robert was known to spend time with prostitutes every now and then. One night, Robert met Fiona O'Doherty, a local prostitute in Chicago's "Back of the Yards". There was something about Fiona that attracted Robert to her and after taking Fiona out on the town for a while, Robert promised to make a better life for them both and asked her to marry him. Fiona accepted and the two were married within six months of their first meeting. Fiona had come to the United States from Ireland to work as a servant, but when that failed, she had become a prostitute. Robert wanted to take her away from that life, and because he made enough as a splitter to support them both, Fiona gave up prostitution. However, Fiona was still seen as an outcast and many of Roberts friends started ignoring him for marrying a woman with a past. Soon Robert looked to moving to Wisconsin to start a dairy farm and was able to purchase land for $1.25 and acre. Although Robert made enough as a splitter, he could no longer bear the burden that Fiona's past had put on his marriage. He did not want to leave Fiona because he loved her so much. Leaving Chicago was the only way, Robert concluded, that they could live in peace. While farming in Wisconsin, Robert and Fiona had two children, Liam and Heather. Both lived into old age, and Liam took over his father's farm after Robert's death.