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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 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 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" .

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 .

His life work and death (Life goes on)

Below are the lyrics of the hymn It Is Well With My Soul done by Spafford. The original manuscript 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 .

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 regarded
my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.
(Repeat chorus)
3. My sin, oh the bliss
of 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 day
when 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.

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.

In his late life Spafford experienced a mental disturbance which prompted him to go to Jerusalem under the strange delusion that he was the second Messiah. He died there in 1888 at the age of sixty. This part of the story is all too often forgotten or excluded from his life's story. It's a sad ending to his life, it makes it seem like in the end, Horatio really did give up. However, under whatever delusions, He never lost faith and continued awaiting Jesus' return til the very end.

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

External links

Horatio Spafford

• Horatio Spafford - Page contains photos of Horatio Spafford and a MIDI file with the music to the hymn
• The original manuscript - The original manuscript in purple ink on Breevoort House stationery paper.
• Bertha Spafford, Horatio's daughter tells part of the story - This page includes a drawing of the rescue of survivors from the S.S.Ville du Havre
• Elisabeth Elliot recalls tea with Horatio Spafford's daughter
• Gospelcom.net story of Spafford
• Horatio Spafford - Contains many details on life of Spafford
• Source of middle name and birth/death information
• The American colony in Jerusalem

Philip Bliss

• The memoirs of P.P.Bliss
• Photo of Philip Bliss, writer of the music