with support from benefactors including Edwin B. Morgan, founded the college on a plot of land adjacent to his villa, Glen Park, in Aurora, Cayuga County, New York; he also rejected an offer from Ezra Cornell to merge their two newly-established colleges. In 1875, Wells stated in an address that he founded the college with the hope it would "always be conducted on truly Christian principles". On March 28, 1868, the college was incorporated by the New York State Legislature for the purpose of "promoting the higher education of young women in literature, science and the arts". In 1870, the seminary's name was changed to Wells College. Over its first ten years, the college's enrollment grew from 34 to 170 students.
=== Growth ===
Frances Folsom, born in Buffalo before attending Wells, graduated in 1885 and married then–U.S. President Grover Cleveland the next year, becoming at the time the youngest woman to serve as First Lady. During her time as a student at Wells, social codes regarding correspondence were strictly …
