Jensine Christine Nicolaisen

Jensine Christine Nicolaisen is the second of two children born to Jens Christian Nicolaisen and Hansena Catharina Smith, both of Denmark. Jensine was born five weeks after her father Jens passed away.

In 1860, Hansena and her three children boarded the ship SS William Tapscott with Hansena's parents. After crossing the Atlantic Ocean, they arrived in New York on June 16, 1860. From there they traveled to Nebraska and joined the William Budge Company to trek west with other members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to the Great Salt Lake Valley.

As a single woman, Hansena was encouraged to remarry so they would have protection on the journey. She met Niels Larsson/Larsen-Marsing who joined the same company. They were married on 20 July 1860.

Exhaustive travel conditions, disease, injury, lack of food and medicine, premature birth, and extreme weather were some of the greatest threats to pioneers. Cholera, a bacterial disease caused from contaminated water, infected many of the travelers. While still in Nebraska, Hansena's little 5-month-old Jensine passed away and buried near the Platte River, Saunders, Nebraska.

From the journal of Niels C. Christensen: “Friday, Aug. 10. We broke up our encampment at 6:30 a.m. and traveled over a number of steep sand hills. We made a halt 10 a.m. to water our cattle. A child died today belonging to Sister Nicholisen [Nicholaisen], was buried in the evening. Our place of encampment here was near junction of the Platte and the Buckhorn rivers.”