Unexpected Legacies: Horatio Spafford

By Matthew J. Elliott

Upfront, I am compelled to warn you that the story I have to share for this post is not one to be taken lightly. Aside from how purposeful the words Horatio Spafford wrote over 150 years ago, there is a story behind what led him to the words of the song ‘It is Well with My Soul’. Some stories just need to be told, and that have been told before, but hit differently once you understand where they came from and this story is one of those. 

To provide a little of background on why I selected this song. In truth, this is one song that is difficult for me to listen to. My father sang it at my mother’s memorial service in 2009 after cancer took her life much sooner than expected. While that is not a story for me to share with you in this post, knowing the story behind this song now gives me a much better understanding of the legacy ‘It is Well with My Soul’ has for us today. 

If you can imagine with me for a moment, or two…what it was like to live in the 1870s. There were no phones, computers, TVs, or even any type of vehicle we’d consider using today. It sounds like something the word would never survive today, doesn’t it? Now, let’s dig even deeper. Travel with me to Chicago, one of the nation’s biggest cities, and a bustling economy filled with opportunities to build something worth investing in. 

As we walk through the streets of this ever-growing environment, we find ourselves standing in front of a well-known district filled with thriving businesses and successful people living out their daily lives. Suddenly, everything changes! Out of nowhere, a huge, uncontrollable fire breaks out and changes everything. The once prosperous district is gone, and what’s more, the fire continues, killing hundreds of people and leaving a third of the population homeless. 

In the heart of a once vibrant metropolis, the feeling of desolation is overwhelming as the only visible sights for miles are blackened ashes and fragmented rocks. Almost everything in this society is beyond repair, leaving no choice but to start from scratch. The survivors are left in a state of complete shock. Their souls rattled to their very core, with little hope for a restoration of their former lives in any form. Many people ask themselves the same question: Does this mark the long-awaited culmination?

The road ahead leads us to a man named Horatio Spafford. He is a well-known lawyer, who invested his entire fortune into Chicago real estate. Much of which was no longer there. Recognizing this, he looks up at his wife and their four daughters. His mind becomes filled with fear and worry. Considering this, the family makes plans to journey to England for some time to recover and heal from the monumental loss they all had just endured. 

When the time comes to journey upon the sea to the old country, Horatio is unable to join his family because of other matters with the estate. He stays behind to tie up a few things and plans to join his family soon. As they depart, imagine his family waving to him from the ship as it leaves port and begins a journey it will never recover from. Along the way, their ship unexpectedly collides with another ship, resulting in the death of over 200 people, including his four daughters, at sea. 

Upon being rescued, Anna, his wife, sends a single note to tell her husband of what had transpired, “Saved and Alone, what should I do?” This note hits on so many levels, but Horatio immediately departs. Eventually, he finds his way to the exact spot where his daughters were lost. While the captain takes a break from the journey to remember those who have passed, Horatio stands in quiet contemplation. The significance of certain words are imprinted on his heart.

When peace like a river, attendeth my way,

When sorrows like sea billows roll—

Whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to know

It is well, it is well with my soul.

In the midst of this unprecedented storm, Horatio is given a gift. A promise that regardless of what he has faced, there is hope and it can be well with his soul. As the journey continued, he eventually reunited with his beloved, and things found a new routine once more. Nothing will ever be the same again, but there is something he can place his hope in. There is something he and his wife can hold on to. 

There is a profound depth to the story that extends beyond what has been mentioned in this post. In truth, immense tragedy marks Horatio and Anna’s path. While the rest of his story speaks to the unexpected legacy they have left behind, it is not my place to continue sharing their pain. Feel free to look it up, though, because it adds to their legacy’s value. It is a powerful story to discover as well. 

This article focuses on the message that was left behind. Horatio’s legacy, built through the words he wrote in the hymn we now call “It is Well with My Soul,” is meaningful to us all. The storms of life will always be there, doing everything they can to keep us from finding purpose in the pain and value of the trials we face. It is never easy to survive those storms.

Say what you will about the unexpected legacy of Horatio Spafford, but the proof is there. It is up to you to determine what you do with it. History has many stories that capture experiences like this, and each one has a lesson for us to learn from.  

  

~ Biography ~

Matthew James Elliott (M.J. Elliott) is a passionate writer who loves to encourage and inspire others. He has served in various ministry roles for over 15 years, which has given him a unique perspective on people and Biblical History. Matthew holds a degree in Biblical Studies from Oklahoma Wesleyan University, with a focus on Pastoral Care, Christian Education, and Worship.

Matthew is happily married to Traci, and they have three children named Leyla, Caleb, and Hannah, who bring them immense joy and inspiration. As a writer, Matthew's goal is to share love, equip others, and edify them for the greater good. He loves connecting any amount of scripture to his stories and uses his knowledge of Biblical History to do so often.

You can find Matthew's works on Amazon, Goodreads, Facebook, and His Website. He has written Devotionals, An Episodic Series, Novellas, and even Commentaries for The Gospel Daily.

~ Highlighted Release ~

A Kindle Vella Story in progress, Read the first 10 episodes FREE!

One Man. His Continued Journey. Working to Build the Early Church. 

John Mark is haunted by his past, and there is one person he has never been able to reconcile with. Join him on his continuing missionary journey as he leaves Cyprus to search for Saul, now known as Paul, before the epic ending of his Missionary Journey in Cyprus. Who will he meet along the way and what lessons will he learn? Will this journey help him find the answers he seeks?

Revisiting the Christmas Tree Ship

I love Christmas and the Advent season leading up to December 25th. The month of December is full of Christmas concerts, parties, colorful decorations, and--of course--celebrating the "Reason for the Season" the birth of Jesus Christ. Back in 2017, I posted about the Christmas Tree Ship that was an annual event in historic Chicago. We're in Advent season right now, what more appropriate time than now to revisit this unique occurrence and the man who started it? 

Since moving to the Chicago area, I’ve heard many stories about large schooners that wrecked during wild storms on Lake Michigan. I thought the most dangerous storms only occurred in spring and summer, but I've since heard about one wreck that occurred during a late November snowstorm.

Captain Schuenemann (center) & Crew
Public Domain

During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Sail-powered ships, or schooners as they were called, populated the Great Lakes. One of the ships, the Rouse Simmons, was built in Milwaukee and made its inaugural passage into service in 1868. In 1870, it became part of a fleet belonging to Charles H. Hackley that hauled lumber from various ports along the shores of Lake Michigan to the port of Chicago. Later, the ship changed owners several times until Herman E. Schuenemann, a native of Wisconsin and a well-establish lake captain, became a part owner.

At the same time, people had begun decorating evergreen trees to display inside their homes to celebrate Christmas. With each year, the demand for evergreens grew, and during December, a small group of lake schooners, loaded with Christmas trees, began making runs from northern Michigan to Chicago. After arriving at the port in Chicago, they sold the trees directly off the ships. One of those ships was the Rouse Simmons. 

Captain Schuenemann loved making the tree run every year, and people soon started calling the Rouse Simmons, the Christmas Tree ship.  And every December, with Captain Schuenemann at the helm, the ship pulled into port loaded down with evergreen trees. By 1912, he had been making the trip for nearly thirty years.

Last Known Photo of the Rouse Simmons (public domain, 
Wikimedia Commons)

Known as Captain Santa, he found great joy in donating many of the trees to needy families. Over the years, his reputation of generosity grew as the ship was eagerly awaited at the port.

By 1912, the Rouse Simmons was 44 years old and showing wear and tear from its years of service as a cargo ship. Still, she was kept in service, and on November 22, 1912, carrying close to 5,000 trees in the cargo hold and on its decks, the ship left for Chicago. Some who witnessed the 

schooner, as it sailed for Chicago, said the vessel looked like a floating forest.

Without the luxury of today’s radar and satellites, there was no way to know about approaching storms and their proximity to the lake. During that trip, a very dangerous winter storm came out of the northwest and caught everyone by surprise. Several known ships sank that day, but no one had seen the Rouse Simmons since it left for Chicago. As word traveled up and down the Wisconsin shoreline, people watched for the missing vessel. Finally, a life-saving station in Kewaunee, Wisconsin, reported a schooner had been spotted heading south, its flag at half-mast—a sure sign of distress. But with poor visibility and no identifying marks on the ship, no one could be sure it was the Rouse Simmons. Rescue boats were immediately summoned, and as soon as they were able, they headed for the spot where the vessel had been sighted. But, when they arrived in the area where the ship was last seen, there was no trace of a schooner.

Schuenemann’s wife remained hopeful that her husband had taken the ship into a safe harbor to ride out the storm and that he would show up in Chicago a few days past schedule. Sadly, the schooner never appeared. However, through the spring and summer of that year, signs of the schooner’s destiny showed up as pieces of Christmas trees began washing up on shore.

Mrs. Schuenemann and her daughters continued the tree business, first bringing the trees to the city by schooners and later by train. After the widow died, the daughters sold the business, and by 1920, the deliveries to Chicago by rail and water ended.

Then in 1924, fishermen found Captain Schuenemann’s wallet wrapped in oilskin, which protected its contents from water damage. The wallet was returned to his wife.

Fast forward to 2006, during an underwater archaeological survey, divers found the ship’s anchor chain, masts, and spar along with the schooner's bow, where many of the trees were stored below and surprisingly still intact. Pictures of these artifacts can be seen on various websites detailing the Christmas Tree ship’s story.

A picture of the wreck that remains at the bottom of Lake Michigan near Two Rivers, WI, is at left. Every year, divers place an evergreen tree on the wreckage.

Although new to me, the legend of the Christmas ship has been around for years, mixed in with ghost stories and sightings of ships once lost to the waters of the lake. There is even a children’s book about the ship. 

Many publications about the Christmas Tree Ship can be found on Amazon.com. But the most interesting one to me is the account described on the Wisconsin Historical Society's website (link is below) that states a snowstorm didn't cause the schooner to go down at all. You can read the text at the website link and decide for yourself. Was it a storm or something else?

Every December, the final voyage of the Rouse Simmons is remembered by the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Mackinaw as it travels the same route and delivers a load of trees to the needy in Chicago.

Have you ever seen a ship wreckage in person? Did you read the Wisconsin Historical accounting of the wreck? Do you think that theory is more plausible? Either way, the ship got into trouble enough that a seasoned ship captain couldn't escape it. 

RESOURCES AND REFERENCES:

You can find many books and documentaries on the Christmas Tree Ship at the following link: 

https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2006/winter/christmas-tree.html

One of the most colorful and interesting websites to learn more about the history and lore of what came to be called the Santa Claus ship can be found at this link. http://halfpuddinghalfsauce.blogspot.com/2016/12/the-rouse-simmons-christmas-tree-ship.html

Another link will take you to a site that includes more detail than the others. Not sure how much is from known fact, though still interesting to read: http://www.lakeeffectliving.com/Lake-Effect-Guide/Shipwrecks-Rouse_Simmons.html

The photo of the Rouse Simmons wreckage: Image ID: 120451; Creator: Tamara Thomsen. The photo and other similar photos, along with an accounting of what really happened to the Rouse Simmons can be found at https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/Records/Image/IM120451

Pamela has written most of her life, beginning with her first diary at age eight. Her novels include Surprised by Love in Lake Geneva and her four-book series called the Newport of the West, all set in historic Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. She lives in northeastern Illinois with her two rescue cats and is active in her church.

The Eastland Disaster -- The Ship That Capsized Without Leaving the Dock

 

by Pamela S. Meyers 

 

The Eastland, heading out for a cruise on Lake Michigan.

Imagine yourself as a recent Polish immigrant. It is July 24, 1915. Your husband, Karol, immigrated to America two years earlier and you and baby Stefan joined him a year later after he landed a well-paying job at Western Electric in Cicero, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. Karol has raved about Western Electric’s annual employee picnic that he attended last year while you and baby Stefan were en route to America. Today, you’ll attend this year’s picnic as a family of three.

 

Map of routes used by passenger ships crossing to
Indiana and Michigan. Note that 
Michigan City is only about 38 miles away. 
Map is featured in the book Capsized! (cited below)

Too excited to sleep, you dress quietly in the front room of your small apartment, imagining the short boat ride across Lake Michigan to Michigan City, Indiana, and the park where the picnic is to be held. You’ll next wake Stefan and get him fed and dressed. Noises sound from the bedroom. Karol is up now, wanting to get an early start for the dock if they’re to find space on the SS Eastland, dubbed the speed queen of the Great Lakes. He’d been like a small boy all week talking about the opportunity to ride on such a magnificent vessel. 

Later, as you walk toward the Chicago River, Karol carrying Stefan and you, the picnic basket, voices become louder as you approach. So many people had arrived before you? Did they all sleep there?

Karol hands Stefan to you, saying he’ll rush ahead to claim three spaces on the ship. You nod and send him off. He disappears into the mass of people. Jostled on all sides by the pressing crowd, you make your way to the wharf. A tall man wearing a military-like uniform blocks the next people in line from stepping on the gangplank. He puts a bullhorn to his mouth, "The Eastland has reached full capacity and can’t take on more passengers." 

A loud groan fills the air as the man continues. "The next ship will be along as soon as the Eastland pulls away from the wharf. Everyone will get to Michigan City and not miss a single event.” 

Crestfallen, you scan the Eastland’s upper deck for Karol. There are too many people jostling for space at the rail. He must be standing behind someone. They’d already agreed if they became separated at the dock, they’d meet up in Michigan City at the park entrance. Stefan squirms, wanting down. But the small boy would certainly be trampled by the crowd already pushing forward and angling to be first to board the next ship. 

“Stand back! She’s tipping!” 

You look toward the Eastland to see the entire ship rolling onto its side and people tumbling into the murky water. You hug Stefan closer and step aside to allow men through, already shedding their jackets as they run to pull people from the river. Assured that Karol knows how to swim, you carry your boy away from the frantic crowd and stand next to a weeping woman. You whisper a prayer that this won’t be your first day of widowhood for either of you.

Taken about 75 minutes after the ship flipped on its side. Many could get on top of the side that sat above water, but others were not as able. 

In total, 844 people lost their lives, including the crew and children.

###

 The scene above is only from my imagination based on articles I’ve read about the Eastland Disaster. It amazes me that even though, by the end of that horrific day, more people lost their lives than those who experienced the Great Chicago Fire in 1871, or later, in 1912, when the Titanic struck an iceberg and sank. In the days following the Eastland event, only a few people spoke of it again amongst themselves. As if by not mentioning it, it would seem it never happened. But the traumatic experience did happen and remained locked in the recesses of their minds. A form of self-protection that allows the survivors to continue on. 

I read one explanation for this “social amnesia,” as it was called, that makes sense to me. The memories were too painful to relive in the telling, and many people blocked them out as a defense mechanism. Now, 107 years later, questions about that tragic day continue to emerge. The first question usually asked is how did a large steamship, originally designed as a cargo ship, which had plied the waters of Lake Michigan for a long while suddenly tip over on its side?

The answer lies in how the stability of the ship was severely compromised as different owners tweaked the design to accommodate more passengers. Cargo was usually stored in the lower parts of the ship which aided the narrow vessel to not list. People on pleasure cruises, which did not haul cargo, wanted to stay on the upper decks to enjoy the fresh air and views. To accommodate the weight of those passengers, concrete was poured on the upper decks' floors.

The Eastland’s design did include a pair of ballasts at its lowest point. When filled with water, the ballasts helped stop the ship from listing from one side to the other. On that July day, the ship’s captain ordered the ballasts to be emptied to allow the ship to sink lower into the water during the boarding process, but he never ordered them to be refilled. 

According to wikipedia.com, this is how it happened:

The ship was packed, with many passengers standing on the open upper decks, and began to list slightly to the port side (away from the wharf). The crew attempted to stabilize the ship by admitting water into her ballast tanks, but to little avail. At some time during the next 15 minutes, a number of passengers rushed to the port side, and at 7:28 am, Eastland lurched sharply to port, and then rolled completely onto her port side, coming to rest on the river bottom, which was only 20 feet (6.1 m) below the surface; barely half the vessel was submerged. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Eastland

The company magazine featured an article 

to encourage people to sign up for the cruise 

and picnic

In the decks below, crammed with passengers, people fell onto what had been a side wall, and others fell on top of them. Crushed under the weight, many suffocated. Even those who were still able to breathe could barely move, trapped with no means of escape. 

What had begun as a joyous day for the thousands who worked for Western Electric,
ended as a day of doom for those who survived, as well as for those who lost their lives. A great many people who lived through the tragedy managed to bury the memories deep in the recesses of their minds. It was the only coping mechanism they knew. 

A friend of mine who grew up in Chicago during the fifties and sixties told me she heard nothing about the Eastland disaster until she was grown when someone told her a woman from her extended family died on the ship. She was shocked at how it hadn't been mentioned in her family for decades. 

Clara Olbinski lost her life on the
SS Eastland. (An ancestor of my friend)

Despite the horrific accident, after the ship was righted and repaired, it was returned to Lake Michigan, where it docked at St. Joseph, Michigan. It continued operating for a short while as a passenger ship at a much-reduced capacity level. It was then sold to the U.S. Navy, where it was renovated and reconfigured to be a gunboat. It also received a new name, USS Wilmette, which ironically is the name of a north shore Chicago suburb. 

The vessel finally met its demise at the close of WWII and was scrapped. 

Many stories and facts about this ill-fated ship can be found on the internet. Far too many to include here. Have you heard about the SS Eastland, or were any of your ancestors on the Eastland that day?

Resources: 

Wikipedia.com 

Capsized! The Forgotten Story of the SS Eastland Disaster; Patricia Sutton, Chicago Review Press, Reprint Edition, July 7, 2020 

Eastland Disaster (Images of America); Ted Wachholz, The Eastland Disaster Historical Society Arcadia Publishing, Charleston, South Carolina, 2005

Author's note: I didn't feature the more gruesome photos found online, but they are easy to locate if you want to see them. Google-search SS Eastland and a lot of hits will pop up. Beware: Some photos will move you to tears.

Pam Meyers calls herself a Lake Geneva, Wisconsin native who happens to live in Illinois.

She's written several novels, most notably five historicals set in Lake Geneva.

She is enjoying retirement, serving at her church, and trying to keep her two rescue cats in line. There is always a new story stirring her muse, and one of these days, she's going to start writing one.

Prairie Avenue--Once Chicago's Home to Millionaires

Not all of 19^th Century wealthy lived on the northside of Chicago which was ravaged by the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. On the city’s southside, most likely because of strong southerly winds that pushed the flames north, Prairie Avenue escaped the fire, saving the large mansions that had already been built on that street.

George Pullman's Mansion,
Courtesy of Wikipedia

After the fire, many of the wealthy who had lost their homes in the conflagration chose to rebuild on Prairie Avenue, and it was soon to be labeled the most expensive street west of Fifth Avenue (referring to the New York City street, of course). Quite a change from when the street began life as an Indian trail between Fort Wayne, Indiana and Fort Dearborn (Chicago’s location) in Illinois. It later became a major trail for horseback riders and carriages. By the late 1870s, some of the most influential movers and shakers of the city had moved to Prairie Avenue, including George Pullman, Marshall Field, John J. Glessner and Philip Armour. Soon, the street acquired a second nickname: Millionaires Row.

As time moved on the City of Chicago grew past the boundaries of the wealthy neighborhood, surrounding it with warehouses and factories, many of the street’s occupants moved to fancy homes along the shore of Lake Michigan north of downtown called the Gold Coast. The mansions remained, but some fell into disrepair and many were torn down. However, the remaining homes, including the Glessner estate, were salvaged and restored and a six-block stretch of Prairie Avenue is now a protected historic district.

In its hey-day, Prairie Avenue was truly the place to live for those of considerable wealth. Its residents contributed a great deal to the city, especially during the time following the Great Fire. The Pullman Car Company and the Armour Meat Company employed thousands of workers, and Marshall Field’s department store changed the way people shopped. The large store helped make Chicago’s State Street become a shopping magnet as other retail department stores like Carson, Pirie and Scott built there stores there. Right now I have that old song Frank Sinatra used to sing about Chicago and the lyrics, “State Street, that great street,” running through my head.

Home of Marshall Field
Courtesy of Wikipedia

Glessner House today
Credit: Prairie Avenue at the English Language Wikipedia

Today, the neighborhood is experiencing a revival as the old buildings are being restored. If you are ever in Chicago and want to get a taste of historical Chicago and the way the well-to-do lived at the end of the 19^th Century, you don’t want to miss visiting Prairie Avenue. The Glessner House is open for tours. You can read more about Prairie Avenue at this site that contains a lot of links to other websites about the neighborhood: http://www.pdnachicago.com/page07.php

Have you ever been to Prairie Avenue or toured Glessner House?

Pamela has written most of her life, beginning with her first diary at age eight. Her novels include Thyme For Love, Surprised by Love in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin and Second Chance Love. Future novels include Shelter Bay, Book 2 in her Newport of the West series set in her hometown of Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. Her newest release is a contemporary novel, Whatever is True She lives in northeastern Illinois with her two rescue cats.

Releasing May 28, 2019, Shelter Bay, Book Two in the Newport of the West series.