The author of It Is Well With My Soul always knew something about life’s unexpected challenges! This song teaches us faith and trust in God can help us to overcome hardship and tragedy. But many people don’t know what is the story behind the song It Is Well With My Soul. In today’s post, I will discuss the biography of the author of It Is Well With My Soul in short.
Who Is The Author Of It Is Well With My Soul?
The author of It Is Well With My Soul is Horatio Gates Spafford who was a prominent American lawyer. Very few people know that Horatio was also a Presbyterian church elder. He was the son of Gazetteer author Horatio Gates Spafford and Elizabeth Clark Hewitt Spafford. The author was a lawyer and a senior partner in a large law firm.
You can keep on reading to find out what happened to the author of It Is Well With My Soul.
About The Author Of It Is Well With My Soul
The author got married to Anna Larsen of Stavanger, Norway in Chicago in 1861. Horatio’s families were supporters and friends of evangelist Dwight L. Moody. The author also invested in real estate north of Chicago in the spring of 1871. Unfortunately, the Great Fire of Chicago reduced the city to ashes in October 1871. This destroyed most of Spafford’s investment.
However, two years after the devastation of the Great Chicago Fire, the family planned a trip to Europe. The zoning issues arising from the conflagration kept Spafford from joining his wife and four daughters on a family vacation. While crossing the Atlantic on the steamship Ville du Havre, the ship was struck by an iron sailing vessel. This killed around 226 people including the author’s four daughters. Horatio’s daughters were Annie (12 years), Maggie (7 years), Bessie (4 years), and an 18-month baby. Luckily, his wife Anna got survived this tragedy.
After arriving in Cardiff, Wales, Anna sent a telegram to Horatio stating “Saved alone”. The author traveled to meet his grieving wife shortly after receiving the telegram. This incident inspired him to write “It Is Well with My Soul” as his ship passed near where his daughters died. But do you know what is the “It Is Well With My Soul” meaning? This means we cannot say that everything is well in all aspects of our lives. But if you have faith in a loving God and trust in his divine help you can say ‘it is well with my soul’.
The story of the author of It Is Well With My Soul is very heartbreaking. “It Is Well With My Soul” was composed by Philip Bliss and was published in Gospel Hymns by Ira Sankey and Bliss. It is considered the most influential and enduring in the Bliss collection. In fact, this hymn is often taken as a choral model, appearing in hymnals of a wide variety of Christian fellowships.
Now, you must be wondering what happened to the man who wrote It Is Well With My Soul. the author, unfortunately, died due to malaria on 16 October 1888. While his wife Anna continued to work in the surrounding areas of Jerusalem until her own death in 1923. In fact, both Horatio and Anna were laid to rest in Jerusalem.
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FAQ
What Happened To The Author Of It Is Well With My Soul?
Horatio Spafford died of malaria on 16th October 1888. Anna Spafford continued to work in the surrounding areas of Jerusalem until her own death in 1923. Both Horatio and Anna were laid to rest in Jerusalem. It can truly be said, in the words that Spafford penned that, “It is well with their souls.”
Why Was The Hymn It Is Well With My Soul Written?
His wife Anna survived and sent him the now famous telegram, “Saved alone …”. Shortly afterwards, as Spafford traveled to meet his grieving wife, he was inspired to write these words as his ship passed near where his daughters had died.
What Hymns Did Horatio Spafford Write?
Horatio Gates Spafford (October 20, 1828, Troy, New York – September 25, 1888, Jerusalem) was a prominent American lawyer and Presbyterian church elder. He is best known for penning the Christian hymn It Is Well With My Soul following a family tragedy in which his four daughters died aboard the S.S.
Did Horatio Spafford Believe He Was The Messiah?
Sometime during the 1880s, in Jerusalem, Horatio Spafford suffered a mental illness that caused him to believe that he was the second Messiah. After Horatio Spafford’s death in 1888, Anna Spafford remained in the American Colony, and daughter Bertha Spafford grew up there.
Who Wrote The First Hymn?
The music and parts of the text of a hymn in the Oxyrhynchus Papyri from the 2nd century are the earliest known hymnody. The earliest exactly datable hymn is the Heyr Himna Smi¢ur (Hear, the Maker of Heaven) from 1208 by the Icelandic bard and chieftain Kolbeinn Tumason (1173-1208).
How Many Kids Did Horatio Spafford Have?
In 1871, Horatio Spafford, a prosperous lawyer and devout Presbyterian church elder and his wife, Anna, were living comfortably with their four young daughters in Chicago.
What Happened To Horatio Spafford At The End Of His Life?
Spafford died of malaria on September 25, 1888, and was buried in Mount Zion Cemetery in Jerusalem.
What Bible Verse Says It Is Well With My Soul?
It Is Well With My Soul – Psalm 46:1-3.
Conclusion
The author of the hymn “It Is Well With My Soul” Horatio wrote this hymn after traumatic events in his life. The death of his four-year-old son and the Great Chicago Fire ruined him financially. Later, his business interests were further hit by the economic downturn. The author of It Is Well With My Soul penned this song which was then composed by Philip Bliss.