Horatio Gates Spafford was born on October 20, 1828, and would later become famous for writing an inspiring hymn “It Is Well with My Soul”.
Horatio was admitted to the Bar and traveled west to Chicago in 1856.
As a young Sunday School teacher, Horatio meet a beautiful Norwegian girl, Anna Lawson. They later married in 1861 and moved to their new home, Lake View, north of Chicago. Horatio’s law practice at the firm of Spafford, McDaid & Wilson was successful, though when the tragic fires swept through Chicago in 1871, Horatio and his partners were in heavy debt because of their speculations in real estate. Chicago was greatly changed, though the Spafford home was unharmed by the great fire, Horatio and his wife were still in shock as they ministered to others in the wake of a tragic event.
In November of 1873, the Spafford’s were informed by their family physician that Anna Spafford needed to make a trip to Europe for her health.
Horatio went with his family by train to New York to board the best passenger ship, the Ville du havre. Due to an important real estate sale, Horatio agreed for his family to go on and he would later meet up with them, though just before the ship departed, news arrived that the prospective buyer had died.
Among the many passengers were five ministers, who were heading to Europe: Nathaniel Weiss who would later write about the voyage, Emile Cook, a pastor in Paris, Theophile Lorriaux, he too was from Paris,
Antonio Carrasco, and Dr. Cesar Pronier, from Geneva. Weiss, Cook and Lorriaux all had promised to Horatio that they would take care of his family on the voyage. They left the port the afternoon of November 15, the ship plowed northeast
Through the first six days of their journey the ship battled through rough seas and then dense fog. Finally on the seventh day the seas calmed, and the weather was lovely!
Early on November 22, passengers were awakened and startled to hear what sounded like two roars of thunder. Recognizing an emergency, passengers hurried around in the dark making their way to the main deck. To their surprise they saw sparks shooting out like fireworks in the engine room revealing a hole in the belly of the ship. Though no one knew then, those who would survive later found out they had been rammed by an iron Scottish Cargo ship called the Loch Earn.
Then, in one instant, the dark sea overwhelmed the floating hulk, plunging everyone into the frigid waters. In only few moments the most luxurious ship afloat sent its passengers into the seas. Anna Spafford one of the very few survivors sent a telegram to her husband Horatio. On a ship on Horatio’s way to his wife Anna the captain told him that they were near the place where his daughters had sunken which is when Horatio would write “It Is Well With My Soul.”
“Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.
My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!”
WORK CITED
Horatio Spafford: It Is Well with My Soul – 1801-1900 Church History