Charles William Ogden (Gpa Ogden)
Nancy Ogden Westerdahl’s Father
Nancy’s father, Charles W. Ogden, graduated from Gettysburg High School in 1920. When he was still a very young man, he was a piano player in the silent movies in Gettysburg. There was no sound track then, so the only thing the audience heard was dramatic, humorous or romantic piano music according to the scene.
The strange thing is, Nancy grew up with a piano in the house, but she never heard her father play a note.
Another unusual job Gpa Ogden had in his youth was as an assistant in a company that made chemistry sets for young people, a popular gift for teenage boys in the 20ies and 30ies.
Of course, Nancy’s father was best known as an employee of the Gettysburg National Bank where he worked for 46 years. He began as clerk and retired as the bank’s comptroller and vice president.
Gpa Ogden enjoyed fishing, hunting, gardening, horse back riding and wood working. He raised turkeys, and he was an avid gardener. He loved to read Westerns and smoke cigars, cheap ones.
During World War II he was an Air Raid Warden. When the alarm siren sounded at night, he walked the streets of Gettysburg to make certain no lights were visible from homes or businesses.
Charles and Grace Hartman Ogden were married for 56 years until he died in 1980.
Note: here is a link to a silent film starring Charlie Chaplin:
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