Horatio Spafford

Horatio Gates Spafford (October 20, 1828 – October 16, 1888) was a prominent American lawyer and Presbyterian church elder. “It Is Well With My Soul” is a hymn penned by hymnist Horatio Spafford and composed by Philip Bliss.

Horatio Spafford was a successful lawyer in Chicago who had invested heavily in real estate. But in 1870, a series of events began to turn his life inside out. Horatio and Anna’s only son died of Scarlet Fever at the tender age of four. The following year, every single one of Horatio’s investments was lost in the Great Chicago Fire. A few years later, Horatio decided to take the family on a holiday to England where they would accompany his friend. shortly before they were to set sail, a last-minute business development threatened to derail the trip. Horatio persuaded his wife to go ahead saying he would follow along shortly.

In November 1873, Anna and the girls boarded the French ship, “Ville du Havre”. Four days into their trans-Atlantic journey, Horatio received the devastating news that the “Ville du Havre” had collided. Several days later when the survivors had reached  Spafford received a brief, six-word telegram from his wife: “Saved alone. What shall I do?”. Shortly afterwards, as Spafford travelled to meet his grieving wife, he was inspired to write these words as his ship passed near where his daughters had died.It’s incredible to think such encouraging and uplifting words were born from the depths of such unimaginable sorrow. The composer, Bliss, called his tune “Ville du Havre”, from the name of the stricken vessel