Story of It Is Well With My Soul

Date: [unknown] [unknown]
Location: [unknown]
Surname/tag: Bliss, Spafford

The Story of "It Is Well With My Soul":

In 1871 Spafford lost his son in the Chicago fire of 1871. The fire was also a great cost to him financially, as he owned a lot of properties that went up in flames. He took another hit, financially in economic downturn of 1873.

During this period, he was planning a European trip with his family. Because of a change of plans due to business (Zoning issues because of the Chicago fire a few years prior), he sent his wife and daughters ahead on the ship "SS Ville du Havre".

During the Atlantic crossing, the "SS Ville du Havre" collided with another sea-vessel the "Loch Earn", and the Ville du Havre sank in only twelve minutes. Spafford lost all four of his daughters. His wife Anna, this only family member that survived, telegraphed him the message "Saved alone …".

Spafford, soon thereafter, traveled to meet his wife, so they could grieve together. During his crossing, Spafford drew inspiration for the poem/song when the ship he was on drew near to the site where his daughters drown.

Phillip P. Bliss, the composer of the music for the hymn, originally called it Ville du Havre, from the name if the ill-fated ship.^{[1][2][3][4][5]}

Sources

1. ↑ https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/resources/history-of-hymns-it-is-well-with-my-soul
2. ↑ https://www.godupdates.com/story-behind-it-is-well-with-my-soul/
3. ↑ https://www.godtube.com/popular-hymns/it-is-well-with-my-soul/
4. ↑ https://www.loc.gov/resource/mamcol.016/?st=gallery
5. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It_Is_Well_with_My_Soul