Horatio Gates Spafford ( October 20 , 1828 , Troy , New York - October 16 , 1888 , Jerusalem ) is the author of the hymn It Is Well with My Soul . Horatio Gates Spafford ( October 20 , 1828 , Troy , New York - October 16 , 1888 , Jerusalem ) was a prominent American lawyer , best known for penning the Christian hymn It Is Well With My Soul , following a family tragedy in which four of his daughters died .