Jens Nielsen Jensen was an early settler in Cache Valley and mayor of Mendon, Utah. Born in Denmark on November 3, 1858 to Niels and Karen Thorkelsen Jensen, he immigrated with his family to Utah after they joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. On the voyage across the Atlantic, Jens's mother died and when he was 10 years old his father died. As a consequence, he was raised in Mendon by Ola Sonne. From 1881 to 1883, Jensen served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Southern States mission before marrying Mary Emma Baker in Mendon in 1885. They had eight children, seven of which survived into adulthood. Jensen remained an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and held many leadership positions in the Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Association and the Sunday School at his local Mendon congregation.

Mary Emma Baker was the daughter of George Washington Baker and Agnes Richards. She was born July 30, 1864, in Mendon, Utah, where she lived all of her life. Mary attended Brigham Young College in Logan, Utah and became a schoolteacher, teaching in Mendon and Hyrum, Utah before she was married. She was an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saintts and held local leadership positions in several of its organizations, including the Relief Society, the Sunday School, and the Mutual Improvement Association.