She was a survivor of the sinking of the French passenger steamer '' Ville du Havre '' in 1873 . Her daughters Anna “ Annie ” ( born June 11 , 1862 ) , Margaret Lee “ Maggie ” ( born May 31 , 1864 ) , Elizabeth “ Bessie ” ( born June 19 , 1868 ) , and Tanetta ( born July 24 , 1871 ) were lost in the wreck . Afterwards Anna gave birth to three more children . Her husband , Horatio Spafford wrote the song " It is Well with my soul " after the various tragedies that struck them , which includes the Chicago fire and the loss of their daughters in the sinking of '' Ville du Havre ''
Chicago fire
Great Chicago Fire
Anna Spafford