Tammy Cromie-Wilkins, above, the great-granddaughter of famed Bluffton scientist E. B. Williamson, donated a locket that Williamson had given to his daughter, Jane Williamson Wilkins, most likely in the early 1930s. Cromie-Wilkins had found the locket in the aftermath of her Grandmother Jane’s death and was surprised to open it and find a picture of herself. A young girl at the time, and Jane’s only granddaughter, her grandfather gave the locket to her. Years later, an uncle had thought the locket “lost” until discovering Cromie-Wilkins had it. That story is shared in a comprehensive biography of E. B. Williamson written by Alan Daugherty, above right. The recently published 226-page hardcover book remains available at several Bluffton locations, including the News-Banner office. Cromie-Wilkins was at the Wells County Historical Museum this week to present the locket for permanent display within the Williamson Collection at the museum. Accepting the gift is Connie Brubaker, center, vice-president of the Historical Society. The locket cover (top) includes a dragonfly and a frog, both of which were objects of E.B. Williamson’s studies. (Photos by Mark Miller)
