Jens Nielson was born on April 26, 1820, in Island Loaland, Denmark. He was a thrifty and industrious man. He and his wife Elsie were married in 1850 and joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on March 29,1854. For a year and a half he was a missionary among the Danish people, but left when he was able to come to America. He and his wife landed in New York in June, 1856.
Later they crossed the plains with the ill-fated Willey Party. Here their only son, Jens, died and was buried on the plains. Jens Senior, with his feet frozen, had to be pulled in a handcart for a short distance at a time. This group arrived in Salt Lake City on the ninth of November 1856. He built homes in Parowan, Paragonah, Panguitch, and Cedar City, all located in Utah.
He married Kirsten Jensen Nielson in 1857. In 1874 he married Katherine Jorgensen. Jens Nielson acted as a stabilizing and spiritual influence to his community. He was older than most of the company and had experience in trail building. He was the first acting bishop of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Bluff and served as the acting bishop for twenty-six years. He was also a Native American interpreter. He died on April 24, 1926, in his beloved Bluff (Uriah and Beatrice Nielson Family Reunion 1996).