William S. Denison 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 Ohio in 1810 settling in Putnam in Muskingum County, Ohio and then moving to Zanesville, Ohio. Denison attended Ohio University studying scientific farming methods. Denison eventually acquired nearly 1,500 acres of farmland. Denison was a longtime member of the Salem Baptist Church in Adamsville. In 1853, William S. Denison
William S. Herriman William S. Herriman William S. Herriman (24 October 1791 – 6 April 1867) was a wealthy businessman who became President of Long Island Bank, the first bank in Brooklyn, New York. He remained in that position until his death when he was replaced by William C. Fowler. Herriman was born 1791 in Jamaica, Queens, New York, and was the third of four known surviving children. He had a brother and three sisters. His father was Stephen Herriman (formerly Harriman) III (1757-1792). His mother was Elizabeth Smith (1760-1847). William married Maria Belle Stillwell Frecke/Freeke on 13 December 1820. Herriman had five