Mendon May Day— 1863
Ingeborg Kirstine Larsine Sorensen— Seny, the name she is know to us best by, is generally credited with being the first queen of the May in Mendon. She was only five years old when she arrived in Mendon with her parents from Mill Creek, Salt Lake County, Utah on the 10th of November, 1859. She is the first and only queen as far as is known, to be selected spontaneously by a group of her peers outside of the general guidance and influence of the adult members of the community. She was the second youngest queen, at the age of nine years, one month, and twenty-nine days old. The general consensus, of Seny being the first queen, is held by May Day traditionalists based both on oral family and community traditions and also the following written paragraphs, the first of which became somewhat of a ‘Holy Grail’ for Mendon May Day enthusiasts and local historians to locate and document.
Pioneer Entertainment— “Then there was May Day. On the first day of May, Mary Willie, Seny Sorensen and a crowd of girls walked out to Clayton to gather flowers. They voted Seny Sorensen to be queen and had a wonderful time. They have always celebrated that day as May Day ever since.”