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{{Short description|American poet and lawyer (1828–1888)}}
]
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2024}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Horatio Spafford
| image = Horatio Spafford.jpg
| alt =
| caption = Portrait of Spafford
| birth_name = Horatio Gates Spafford
| birth_date = {{birth date|1828|10|20}}
| birth_place = ], U.S.
| death_date = {{death date and age|1888|9|25|1828|10|20}}
| death_place = ]
| occupation = {{hlist|Lawyer|poet}}
| notable_works = "]"
| spouse = {{marriage|]|1861}}
| children = 8
}}
'''Horatio Gates Spafford''' (October 20, 1828, ] – September 25, 1888, ])<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.hymntime.com/tch/bio/s/p/spafford_hg.htm|title=Source of middle name and birth/death information}}{{Dead link|date=November 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> was an American lawyer and Presbyterian church elder. He is best known for penning the Christian ] "]" following the ]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/americancolony/amcolony-family.html|title=Family Tragedy - The American Colony in Jerusalem &#124; Exhibitions - Library of Congress|date=January 12, 2005|website=www.loc.gov}}</ref> and the deaths of his four daughters on a transatlantic voyage aboard the ].


==Biography==
'''Horatio Gates Spafford''' (October 20, 1828, ] - October 16, 1888, ])<ref></ref> was a prominent ] ], best known for penning the ] ] '']'', following a family tragedy in which four of his daughters died.
]
Spafford was the son of ''Gazetteer'' author Horatio Gates Spafford and Elizabeth Clark Hewitt Spafford. On September 5, 1861, Spafford married ] of ], ], in Chicago. Spafford was a lawyer and a senior partner in a large law firm.<ref>{{cite web|title=Spafford, McDaid, & Wilson, Attorneys & Counselors at Law|work=The American Colony in Jerusalem|url=https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/americancolony/images/ac0004bs.jpg|publisher=Library of Congress|access-date=April 5, 2021}}</ref>
The Spaffords were supporters and friends of evangelist ].<ref name="LoC">{{Cite web|url=https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/americancolony/amcolony-family.html|title=Family Tragedy - The American Colony in Jerusalem &#124; Exhibitions - Library of Congress|first1=Horatio|last1=Spafford|first2=Anna|last2=Spafford|first3=Currier &|last3=Ives|date=January 12, 2005|website=www.loc.gov}}</ref>


Spafford invested in real estate north of Chicago in the spring of 1871. However, in October 1871, the ] reduced the city to ashes, destroying most of Spafford's investment.<ref name=LoC/>
== Life ==
On September 5, 1861, in Chicago, he married ], of ], ].
]


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 ] would be preaching. On November 22, 1873, while crossing the ] on the ] '']'', the ship was struck by an iron ], killing 226&nbsp;people, including all four of Spafford's daughters: Annie, age&nbsp;12; Maggie,&nbsp;7; Bessie,&nbsp;4; and 18-month old Tanetta.<ref name="LoC" /><ref>{{cite news|title=Run Down. One Father Loses All His Children, Another Both Wife and Children|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/75143560/chicago-tribune-1221873-col-1/}}, continued: {{cite news|title=Run Down.|newspaper=]|date=December 2, 1873|page=1|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/75144297/chicago-tribune-1221873-col-2/|via=]}}{{open access}}</ref> His wife, Anna, survived the tragedy. Upon arriving in ], ], she sent a telegram to Spafford that read "Saved alone."<ref>{{cite web|title=Western Union telegram|website=] |date=December 1, 1873|url=https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/americancolony/images/ac0006s.jpg|access-date=April 5, 2021}}</ref> Shortly afterwards, as Spafford traveled to meet his grieving wife, he was inspired to write '']'' as his ship passed near where his daughters had died.
On October 8, 1871, the ] swept through the city. Horatio was a prominent lawyer in ]<ref></ref>, and had invested heavily in the city's ], and the fire destroyed almost everything he owned.


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).<ref name="LoC"/> On February 11, 1880, their son Horatio died of ] 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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.loc.gov/collections/american-colony-in-jerusalem/articles-and-essays/a-community-in-jerusalem/saved-alone/|title=Saved Alone &#124; A Community in Jerusalem &#124; Articles and Essays &#124; American Colony in Jerusalem, 1870-2006 &#124; Digital Collections &#124; Library of Congress|website=Library of Congress}}</ref> Their ] sect was dubbed "the Overcomers" by the American press.<ref name="Jerusalem">'']'', page 365, ], Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2011. {{ISBN|978-0-297-85265-0}}</ref>
==The wreck of the ''Ville Du Havre''==
Two years later, in 1873, Spafford decided his family should take a holiday somewhere in ], and chose ] knowing that his friend ] would be preaching there in the fall. He was delayed because of business, so he sent his family ahead: his wife and their four children, daughters eleven year old Anna “Annie”, nine year old Margaret Lee, five year old Elizabeth “Bessie”, and two year old and Tanetta. A true


In August 1881, the Spaffords settled in Jerusalem as part of a group of 13 adults and three children, establishing the ]. Colony members, joined by ] Christians, engaged in philanthropic work among the people of Jerusalem regardless of religious affiliation, gaining the trust of the local ], Jewish, and ] 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.<ref>{{Cite news|title=A Sect of Celibates|author=Smith, Wendy|date=December 14, 2008|newspaper=Washington Post}}</ref>
On November 22, 1873, while crossing the ] on the ] '']'', their ship was struck by an ] ]<ref></ref> and two hundred and twenty-six people lost their lives, including all four of Spafford's daughters. Anna Spafford survived the tragedy. Upon arriving in England, she sent a telegram to Spafford beginning "Saved alone."<ref></ref> Spafford then sailed to England, going over the location of his daughters' deaths. According to Bertha Spafford Vester, a daughter born after the tragedy, Spafford wrote "It Is Well With My Soul" on this journey.


In Jerusalem, Spafford and his wife adopted a teenager named Jacob Eliahu (1864–1932), born in ] to a Turkish Jewish family. As a schoolboy, Jacob discovered the ].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.israeldailypicture.com/2012/06/how-strange-does-american-colony-story.html|title=How Strange Does the American Colony Story Get? Meet the Founders' adopted Jewish son, responsible for one of the most incredible archeological finds in Jerusalem in 130 years|first=Our|last=Mission}}</ref>
== The lyrics of ] ==
The original manuscript<ref></ref> has only four verses, but Spafford's daughter states how later another verse (the fourth in order below) was added and the last line of the original was slightly modified.<ref>. Bertha Spafford Vester. (1988). ''Our Jerusalem: An American Family in the Holy City, 1881-1949''. Jerusalem: American Colony, 364 pp., ISBN 0-405-10296-8.</ref> The music, written by ], was named after the ship on which Spafford's daughters died, ''Ville du Havre''.


Spafford died of ] on September 25, 1888, at the age of 59. He was buried in ] in Jerusalem.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://archive.org/details/sim_independent_1889-03-07_41_2101/page/290/mode/2up? |title=Letter published in the Independent March 7, 1889, from Bishop John H. Vincent, of the M. E. Church "who lately visited the Holy Land."|date=March 7, 1889 |publisher=Open Court Publishing Co }}</ref>
==Subsequent tragedy==
Following the sinking of the ''Ville du Havre'', Anna gave birth to three more children. On February 11, 1880, their only son, Horatio Goertner Spafford, died at the age of four years, of ]. Their daughters were Bertha Hedges Spafford (born March 24, 1878) and Grace Spafford (born January 18, 1881). In August 1881, the Spaffords set out for ] as a party of thirteen adults and three children and set up the ]. Colony members, later joined by ] Christians, engaged in philanthropic work amongst the people of Jerusalem regardless of their religious affiliation and without ] motives--thereby gaining the trust of the local ], ], and Christian communities. During and immediately after ], the American Colony played a critical role in supporting these communities through the great suffering and deprivations of the eastern front by running ]s, ]s, ]s and other charitable ventures.<ref>. See also Yaakov Ariel & Ruth Kark. (1996, December). "Messianism, Holiness, Charisma, and Community: The American-Swedish Colony in Jerusalem, 1881-1933," ''Church History'', ''65''(4), 641-657.</ref>


==''It Is Well with My Soul''==
Spafford died on October 16, 1888, of ], and was buried in ], ].
]


The original manuscript<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/americancolony/images/ac0008s.jpg|title=Photo of manuscript|website=] }}</ref> 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.<ref> {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060427002149/http://aquarelles.com/spafford/html/history.html |date=April 27, 2006 }}. Bertha Spafford Vester. (1988). ''Our Jerusalem: An American Family in the Holy City, 1881-1949''. Jerusalem: American Colony, 364 pp., {{ISBN|0-405-10296-8}}.</ref>
== References ==
<references/>


The tune, written by ], was named after the ship on which Spafford's daughters died, ''Ville du Havre''.
== External links ==
=== Horatio Spafford ===
* : The original Hymn manuscript penned by Horatio Spafford
* Photos of Horatio Spafford and a MIDI file of the hymn
*
*
* Many details on life of Spafford
*The Library of Congress Exhibition covering the start of , , , , and


<poem>
]
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:
{{DEFAULTSORT:Spafford, Horatio}}
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)
</poem>

==Commemoration and legacy==
At the ] during and after ], and during the ] and ]s, the American Colony supported the Muslim, Jewish, and Christian communities of Jerusalem by hosting ]s, hospitals, and ]s.<ref>. 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.</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category-inline}}
* : The original hymn manuscript penned by Horatio Spafford
* {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110703002646/http://www.hymntime.com/tch/htm/i/t/i/itiswell.htm |date=July 3, 2011 }} Photos of Horatio Spafford and a MIDI file of the hymn
*
*
* Many details on life of Spafford
* The Library of Congress Exhibition covering the start of , , , , and
* {{Internet Archive author |sname=Horatio Gates Spafford}}
* {{Librivox author |id=8875}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Spafford, Horatio}}
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Latest revision as of 18:47, 7 October 2024

American poet and lawyer (1828–1888)

Horatio Spafford
Portrait of Spafford
BornHoratio Gates Spafford
(1828-10-20)October 20, 1828
Troy, New York, U.S.
DiedSeptember 25, 1888(1888-09-25) (aged 59)
Jerusalem
Occupations
  • Lawyer
  • poet
Notable work"It Is Well with My Soul"
Spouse Anna Larsen ​(m. 1861)​
Children8

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

Biography

Anna Spafford

Spafford was the son of Gazetteer author Horatio Gates Spafford and Elizabeth Clark Hewitt Spafford. On September 5, 1861, Spafford married Anna Larsen of Stavanger, Norway, 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.

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 would be preaching. On November 22, 1873, while crossing the Atlantic on the steamship Ville du Havre, the ship was struck by an iron sailing vessel, 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, Wales, 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 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 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 sect was dubbed "the Overcomers" by the American press.

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 Swedish Christians, engaged in philanthropic work among the people of Jerusalem regardless of religious affiliation, gaining the trust of the local Muslim, Jewish, and Christian 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 to a Turkish Jewish family. As a schoolboy, Jacob discovered the Siloam inscription.

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

It Is Well with My Soul

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, was named after the ship on which Spafford's daughters died, Ville du Havre.

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, and during the Armenian and Assyrian genocides, the American Colony supported the Muslim, Jewish, and Christian communities of Jerusalem by hosting soup kitchens, hospitals, and orphanages.

References

  1. "Source of middle name and birth/death information".
  2. "Family Tragedy - The American Colony in Jerusalem | Exhibitions - Library of Congress". www.loc.gov. January 12, 2005.
  3. "Spafford, McDaid, & Wilson, Attorneys & Counselors at Law". The American Colony in Jerusalem. Library of Congress. Retrieved April 5, 2021.
  4. ^ Spafford, Horatio; Spafford, Anna; Ives, Currier & (January 12, 2005). "Family Tragedy - The American Colony in Jerusalem | Exhibitions - Library of Congress". www.loc.gov.
  5. "Run Down. One Father Loses All His Children, Another Both Wife and Children"., continued: "Run Down". Chicago Tribune. December 2, 1873. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.Open access icon
  6. "Western Union telegram". Library of Congress. December 1, 1873. Retrieved April 5, 2021.
  7. "Saved Alone | A Community in Jerusalem | Articles and Essays | American Colony in Jerusalem, 1870-2006 | Digital Collections | Library of Congress". Library of Congress.
  8. Jerusalem: The Biography, page 365, Simon Sebag Montefiore, Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2011. ISBN 978-0-297-85265-0
  9. Smith, Wendy (December 14, 2008). "A Sect of Celibates". Washington Post.
  10. Mission, Our. "How Strange Does the American Colony Story Get? Meet the Founders' adopted Jewish son, responsible for one of the most incredible archeological finds in Jerusalem in 130 years".
  11. "Letter published in the Independent March 7, 1889, from Bishop John H. Vincent, of the M. E. Church "who lately visited the Holy Land."". Open Court Publishing Co. March 7, 1889.
  12. "Photo of manuscript". Library of Congress.
  13. Bertha's history Archived April 27, 2006, at the Wayback Machine. Bertha Spafford Vester. (1988). Our Jerusalem: An American Family in the Holy City, 1881-1949. Jerusalem: American Colony, 364 pp., ISBN 0-405-10296-8.
  14. 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.

External links

Media related to Horatio Spafford at Wikimedia Commons

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