Amanda Theodosia Jones was born in Bloomfield, New York, to parents Henry and Mary (Baldwin) Jones. Her early years were spent on a farm, where she likely gained practical knowledge about agriculture and food preservation techniques common at the time. This early exposure may have sparked her later interest in improving food storage methods.

Jones worked as a teacher for many years. This career was common for women at the time, and exposed her to new ideas and helped to increase her financial independence, providing a foundation for her later inventive and business endeavors. During this time she was also writing poetry and literature.