Horatio Spafford

Horatio Spafford, the survivor of the Great Chicago Fire

Horatio Gates Spafford (1828-1888) was the author of the hymn "It Is Well With My Soul". There are many authors of many hymns, but it is perhaps the story surrounding Horatio Spafford's life when he wrote the hymn which makes the author's story so exceptional and enduring, and the words of his hymn so forceful.

Spafford was born on October 20, 1828, North Troy, New York.

Early life

First tragedy: His loss of property in The Great Chicago Fire

In 1871 he and his wife Anna were still grieving over the death of their son. Horatio was a lawyer [1] in Chicago, and friend of the famous preacher D. L. Moody. He had invested heavily in real estate. So when the Great Chicago Fire happened, it meant that he lost almost everything he owned.

Second tragedy: The four daughters died

Two years later, in 1873, Spafford decided his family should take a holiday in Europe, and knowing that Moody would preach in England in the fall, he decided to take his family there. However, he was delayed because of business, so he sent his family on ahead of him: his wife Anna, and his four daughters Tanetta, Maggie, Annie and Bessie. On November 21, 1873, while crossing the Atlantic on the S.S. Ville Du Havre, the ship was struck by an iron sailing vessel [2] and two hundred and twenty six people lost their lives, including all four of Spafford's daughters. Somehow his wife, Anna, survived. On arriving in England, she sent a telegram to Horatio with the words "Saved alone" [3].

Spafford then himself took a ship to England, going past the place where his daughters had died. According to his daughter, Bertha Spafford, the hymn was written in 1873 in mid-Atlantic [4].

The hymn

Below are the lyrics of the hymn It Is Well With My Soul done by Spafford. The original manuscript [5] has the four verses below, but Spafford's daughter states how later another verse was added and one of the lines of the original was slightly modified [6].

It Is Well with My Soul

1. When peace, like a river,attendeth my way,When sorrows like sea billows roll;Whatever my lot,Thou hast taught me to know,"It is well, it is well with my soul"

Chorus: It is well (it is well)with my soul (with my soul)It is well, it is well with my soul

2. Though Satan should buffet,though trials should come,Let this blest assurance control,That Christ hath regardedmy helpless estate,And hath shed His own blood for my soul.(Repeat chorus)

3. My sin, oh the blissof this glorious thought!My sin, not in part but the whole,Is nailed to His cross,and I bear it no more,Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!(Repeat chorus)

4. And Lord haste the daywhen the faith shall be sight,The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;The trump shall resound,and the Lord shall descend,Even so, it is well with my soul.(Repeat chorus)

The music, by Philip Bliss, was named after the ship on which his daughters had all died, Ville Du Havre.

Family events

In 1878, a daughter was born, Bertha, and in 1880 they had a son whom they named Horatio. Sadly, he died in at aged 4 years from scarlet fever.

The American Colony in Jerusalem

In August 1881, the Spaffords set out for Jerusalem as a party of 13 adults and 3 children and set up an American Colony there.

From The Library of Congress Exhibition Overview:

Moved by a series of profound tragic losses, Chicago natives Anna and Horatio Spafford led a small American contingent in 1881 to Jerusalem to form a Christian utopian society known as the "American Colony." Colony members, later joined by Swedish Christians, engaged in philanthropic work amongst the people of Jerusalem regardless of their religious affiliation and without proselytizing motives--thereby gaining the trust of the local Muslim, Jewish, and Christian communities. During and immediately after World War I, the American Colony played a critical role in supporting these communities through the great suffering and deprivations of the eastern front by running soup kitchens, hospitals, orphanages and other charitable ventures.

He died on October 16, 1888, Jerusalem, Israel, of malaria, and is now buried there in Jerusalem.

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