Horatio Gates Spafford (October 20, 1828,

Troy, New York Troy is a city in and the county seat of Rensselaer County, New York, United States. It is located on the western edge of the county, on the eastern bank of the Hudson River just northeast of the capital city of Albany, New York, Albany. At the ...

– September 25, 1888,

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

) was an American lawyer and Presbyterian church elder. He is best known for penning the Christian

hymn A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' d ...

It Is Well With My Soul "It Is Well With My Soul", also known as "When Peace, Like A River", is a hymn penned by hymnist Horatio Spafford and composed by Philip Bliss. First published in ''Gospel Hymns No. 2'' by Ira Sankey and Bliss (1876), it is possibly the most ...

" following the

Great Chicago Fire The Great Chicago Fire was a conflagration that burned in the American city of Chicago, Illinois during October 8–10, 1871. The fire killed approximately 300 people, destroyed roughly of the city including over 17,000 structures, and left mor ...

and the deaths of his four daughters on a transatlantic voyage aboard the S.S. ''Ville du Havre''.

Biography

Spafford was the son of ''

Gazetteer A gazetteer is a geographical dictionary or wikt:directory, directory used in conjunction with a map or atlas.Aurousseau, 61. It typically contains information concerning the geographical makeup, social statistics and physical features of a co ...

'' author

Horatio Gates Spafford Horatio Gates Spafford (October 20, 1828, Troy, New York – September 25, 1888, Jerusalem) was an American lawyer and Presbyterian church elder. He is best known for penning the Christian hymn "It Is Well With My Soul" following the Great Chicag ...

and Elizabeth Clark Hewitt Spafford. On September 5, 1861, Spafford married Anna Larsen of

Stavanger Stavanger, officially the Stavanger Municipality, is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Norway. It is the third largest city and third largest metropolitan area in Norway (through conurbation with neighboring Sandnes) and the ...

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

, in Chicago. Spafford was a lawyer and a senior partner in a large law firm. The Spaffords were supporters and friends of evangelist

Dwight L. Moody Dwight Lyman Moody (February 5, 1837 – December 22, 1899), also known as D. L. Moody, was an American evangelist and publisher connected with Keswickianism, who founded the Moody Church, Northfield School and Mount Hermon School in Mas ...

. Spafford invested in real estate north of Chicago in the spring of 1871. However, in October 1871, the Great Fire of Chicago reduced the city to ashes, destroying most of Spafford's investment. Two years after the Great Chicago Fire, the family planned a trip to Europe. Business demands (zoning issues arising from the conflagration) kept Spafford from joining his wife and four daughters on a family vacation in England, where his friend

D. L. Moody Dwight Lyman Moody (February 5, 1837 – December 22, 1899), also known as D. L. Moody, was an American evangelism, evangelist and publisher connected with Keswickianism, who founded the Moody Church, Northfield School and Mount Hermon Sc ...

would be preaching. On November 22, 1873, while crossing the

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for se ...

on the

steamship A steamship, often referred to as a steamer, is a type of steam-powered vessel, typically ocean-faring and seaworthy, that is propelled by one or more steam engines that typically move (turn) propellers or paddlewheels. The first steamships ...

'' Ville du Havre'', the ship was struck by an iron

sailing vessel A sailing ship is a sea-going vessel that uses sails mounted on masts to harness the power of wind and propel the vessel. There is a variety of sail plans that propel sailing ships, employing square-rigged or fore-and-aft sails. Some ships ca ...

, killing 226 people, including all four of Spafford's daughters: Annie, age 12; Maggie, 7; Bessie, 4; and 18-month old Tanetta. His wife, Anna, survived the tragedy. Upon arriving in

Cardiff Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

, she sent a telegram to Spafford that read "Saved alone." Shortly afterwards, as Spafford traveled to meet his grieving wife, he was inspired to write ''

It Is Well with My Soul "It Is Well With My Soul", also known as "When Peace, Like A River", is a hymn penned by hymnist Horatio Spafford and composed by Philip Bliss. First published in ''Gospel Hymns No. 2'' by Ira Sankey and Bliss (1876), it is possibly the most ...

'' as his ship passed near where his daughters had died. Following the sinking of the ''Ville du Havre'', Anna gave birth to three more children, Horatio Goertner (November 16, 1875), Bertha Hedges (March 24, 1878), and Grace (January 18, 1881). On February 11, 1880, their son Horatio died of

scarlet fever Scarlet fever, also known as scarlatina, is an infectious disease caused by ''Streptococcus pyogenes'', a Group A streptococcus (GAS). It most commonly affects children between five and 15 years of age. The signs and symptoms include a sore ...

at the age of four. This final tragedy began Spafford's move away from material success toward a lifelong spiritual pilgrimage. The couple left the Presbyterian congregation and began to host prayer meetings in their home. Their

Messianic In Abrahamic religions, a messiah or messias (; , ; , ; ) is a saviour or liberator of a group of people. The concepts of '' mashiach'', messianism, and of a Messianic Age originated in Judaism, and in the Hebrew Bible, in which a ''mashiach' ...

sect was dubbed "the Overcomers" by the American press.'' Jerusalem: The Biography'', page 365,

Simon Sebag Montefiore Simon Jonathan Sebag Montefiore ( ; born 27 June 1965) is a British historian, television presenter and author of history books and novels, including '' Stalin: The Court of the Red Tsar'' (2003), '' Jerusalem: The Biography'' (2011), '' The Rom ...

, Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2011. In August 1881, the Spaffords settled in Jerusalem as part of a group of 13 adults and three children, establishing the American Colony. Colony members, joined by

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Christians, engaged in philanthropic work among the people of Jerusalem regardless of religious affiliation, gaining the trust of the local

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

, Jewish, and

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communities. Membership in the colony required both single and married adherents to declare celibacy, and children were separated from their parents. Child labor was used in various business endeavors while in Jerusalem. In Jerusalem, Spafford and his wife adopted a teenager named Jacob Eliahu (1864–1932), born in

Ramallah Ramallah ( , ; ) is a Palestinians, Palestinian city in the central West Bank, that serves as the administrative capital of the State of Palestine. It is situated on the Judaean Mountains, north of Jerusalem, at an average elevation of abov ...

to a Turkish Jewish family. As a schoolboy, Jacob discovered the Siloam inscription. Spafford died of

malaria Malaria is a Mosquito-borne disease, mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects vertebrates and ''Anopheles'' mosquitoes. Human malaria causes Signs and symptoms, symptoms that typically include fever, Fatigue (medical), fatigue, vomitin ...

on September 25, 1888, at the age of 59. He was buried in Mount Zion Cemetery in Jerusalem.

''It Is Well with My Soul''

The original manuscript has only four verses, but Spafford's daughter, Bertha Spafford Vester (author of ''Our Jerusalem: An American Family in the Holy City 1881-1949''), who was born after the tragedy, said a verse was later added and the last line of the original song was modified. The tune, written by

Philip Bliss Philip Paul Bliss (9 July 1838 – 29 December 1876) was an American composer, conductor, writer of hymns and a bass-baritone Gospel singer. He wrote many well-known hymns, including "Hold the Fort" (1870), "Almost Persuaded" (1871); "Hallelujah ...

, was named after the ship on which Spafford's daughters died, ''Ville du Havre''. The song is now the subject of a book, a musical and soon,
feature film
When peace, like a river, attendeth my way, When sorrows like sea billows roll; Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say, It is well, it is well with my soul. (Refrain:) It is well (it is well), with my soul (with my soul), It is well, it is well with my soul. 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. (Refrain) 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! (Refrain) For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live: If Jordan above me shall roll, No pain shall be mine, for in death as in life Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul. (Refrain) 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. (Refrain)

Commemoration and legacy

At the Eastern front during and after

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, and during the

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian diaspora, Armenian communities around the ...

and

Assyrian genocide The Sayfo (, ), also known as the Seyfo or the Assyrian genocide, was the mass murder and deportation of Assyrian/Syriac Christians in southeastern Anatolia and Persia's Azerbaijan province by Ottoman forces and some Kurdish tribes during ...

s, the American Colony supported the Muslim, Jewish, and Christian communities of Jerusalem by hosting

soup kitchen A soup kitchen, food kitchen, or meal center is a place where food is offered to Hunger, hungry and homeless people, usually for no price, cost, or sometimes at a below-market price (such as coin Donation, donations). Frequently located in Low i ...

s, hospitals, and

orphanage An orphanage is a residential institution, total institution or group home, devoted to the care of orphans and children who, for various reasons, cannot be cared by their biological families. The parents may be deceased, absent, or abusi ...

s.Library of Congress Exhibition Overview
See also Yaakov Ariel & Ruth Kark. (December 1996). "Messianism, Holiness, Charisma, and Community: The American-Swedish Colony in Jerusalem, 1881-1933," ''Church History'', ''65''(4), 641-657.

References

External links

SpaffordHymn.com
: The original hymn manuscript penned by Horatio Spafford

Photos of Horatio Spafford and a MIDI file of the hymn

* ttps://archive.today/20050323093436/http://chi.gospelcom.net/GLIMPSEF/Glimpses/glmps064.shtml Gospelcom.net
Christianity.ca :
Many details on life of Spafford * The Library of Congress Exhibition covering the start o

an

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Spafford, Horatio 1828 births 1888 deaths 19th-century American lawyers 19th-century American male writers 19th-century American non-fiction writers 19th-century American poets 19th-century Presbyterians American Christian hymnwriters American emigrants to the Ottoman Empire American evangelicals American male non-fiction writers American male poets Presbyterians from Illinois Burials at Mount Zion (Protestant) Deaths from malaria Presbyterian hymnwriters Writers from Troy, New York