Ina Duley Ogdon

Ina Mae Duley Ogdon was born on April 3, 1872 (some sources say 1877), at Rossville, IL, to William and Laetitia Wilson Duley. According to the Lincoln Christian College website, the family was associated with Christian Churches. After attending Greer College in Hoopeston, IL, Ina taught in Illinois schools, including Cherryville, from 1892 to 1900. Her first hymn,"Open Wide the Windows," was published in 1892. Four years later, in 1896, she married fellow teacher James Weston Ogden, and in 1900, the couple moved to Toledo, OH, where their only child, William Duley Ogdon, was born in 1901.

Early in life, Mrs. Ogdon, who was a gifted speaker, had hoped to join the Chautauqua Circuit and was finally selected to go. However, her father’s illness as a result of an automobile accident in 1912, just before she was to leave on tour, forced her to abandon her plans in order to care for him at home. Overcoming anger and resentment from this tragedy, in 1913 she completed an encouraging poem entitled "Brighten the Corner Where You Are" to show how one can serve the Lord in many different circumstances, or, in other words, to make the best of where you find yourself. The tune was composed by her frequent and long-term collaborator, Charles Hutchinson Gabriel (1856-1932). It was first introduced in a crusade at Wilkes-Barre, PA, later that year.

--http://homeschoolblogger.com/hymnstudies/