William S. Denison pledged $10,000 toward the Granville College, which was a Baptist school. Honoring an earlier commitment, the trustees accordingly changed the name of the institution to Denison University. They also voted to move the college to land then available for purchase in the village of Granville. Denison died in 1880. William S. Denison William S. Denison (17941880) was a Baptist farmer who was a major benefactor and namesake of Denison University in Ohio. William S. Denison was born in Colrain, Massachusetts on November 13, 1794 as the youngest of eight children. His family was originally from Stonington, Connecticut. Denison migrated to
William S. S. Willes it was organized in Lehi in 1862. During the April 1863 general conference, Willes was called on a mission to England. Upon his return, he captained a pioneer company of English and German saints that crossed the plains in late summer 1865. Willes died on February 3, 1871, at the age of 51. Note that Willes has no relation to the LDS hymnwriter William Willes. William S. S. Willes William Sydney Smith Willes (March 18, 1819 – February 3, 1871), familiarly known as Sidney Willes, was a Mormon pioneer, member of the Mormon Battalion, and a founder of Lehi, Utah.