Kansas Snapshots by Gloria Freeland - April 3, 2026

Keeping up with the Joneses

I've often mentioned how easily husband Art and I can spend hours researching the most obscure people, places, and incidents. I'm guilty of it to a certain degree, but Art has taken trips down rabbit holes that make me wonder whether he'll ever emerge.

A recent example began in late January, and I am at least partly to blame. We had arrived on campus a bit early for a McCain Auditorium performance on January 30. For some reason I no longer can recall, I mentioned that the Kansas State University "Alma Mater," a song I memorized when I was a student and that I still sing today, was written by Humphrey William Jones.

Since Jones is a Welsh name and we have visited Wales many times, Art wondered from what part of Wales Jones had come. It's a bit like when I hear someone is from Kansas. It's somehow fun to learn just where.

We've visited the island a couple of times, the most recent being last June, and plan to do so the next time we visit Wales. Almost all rural homes in the UK are made of stone. While often modified over time, they are almost never razed. So although William was born in 1832, there's a very high likelihood Carreg Wen still exists. When Art checked, he found one at the appropriate location and it might be fun to drive by.

After mining slate in Pennsylvania, William was among a second group of settlers to move to Bala, a small Riley County community about 20 miles northwest of Manhattan. We've also visited Bala, Wales, having shopped there for groceries and other items. Our local one is its namesake.

I'm on the board of the Riley County Historical Society (RCHS), and I often write stories for our six-times-a-year newsletter. I've talked about writing something about our Bala neighbor and how it was settled by Welsh folks, but haven't quite found the time to do so.

Since my random comment back in January, Art's been working on it several hours a day for about two months now. He has gathered more than 100 documents - photos, census records, newspaper articles, and cemetery data. He intends to eventually give it all to the museum.

I then saw an opportunity. When the time seemed right, I quietly commented that maybe he'd consider writing a story for the May/June RCHS newsletter.

Silence!

He has definite ideas as to what he sees as being a story and he probably felt it hadn t reached that point yet.

But about mid-March, it apparently crossed the threshold. His article details the family's various ties to the county and Manhattan.

The Welsh are very musical and clannish. This latter trait causes them to do things for their community, but in a quiet under-the-radar way. William and other family members participated in Eisteddfods (eye-STETH-vods) - Welsh festivals celebrating language, literature, music, and arts. In Wales, he was even awarded a special bardic name for his talents - Wil Sir Fon, meaning Will from Anglesey.

Initially, all the Joneses were farming. But only his stepson William Davis and wife Jenny stayed near Bala, raised a family, and farmed. About 1885, William, his wife Margery, and son Humphrey moved to Manhattan.

Will's son Humphrey worked as a school teacher and later a principal. He often sang at events and enjoyed writing music, both professionally and for enjoyment. In addition to the K-State "Alma Mater," he wrote the school songs for Topeka's Seaman High School, Topeka High School, and the Branner middle school.