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About William S. Denison
William S. Denison was born in Colerain, Massachusetts on November 13, 1794. He moved to Ohio in 1810 and settled in Muskingum county. He first lived in Putnam, and then moved to Zanesville. Over the years, he became a successful farmer and accumulated nearly 1,500 acres of farmland. In 1853, he agreed to donate $10,000 to Granville College. Because of a longstanding provision that allowed generous donors to rename the college, Granville University was renamed Denison University.