Civil War soldier and Kansas politician.
Henry J. Aten was born near Astoria, Fulton County, Ill., October 12th, 1841 to parents Richard Aten and Ann Peterson. Aten worked on a farm and attended school winters until the Civil War broke out. He enlisted on August 8th, 1861, joining the 85th Illinois regiment. After the war, Henry Aten attended Chicago Business College. He taught business courses in Quincy, Illinois, and in 1870 moved west to Hiawatha, Kansas. In Kansas Aten was active in the town's incorporation and politics. He was elected mayor, and was also active in Native American relations in the area. Eventually he settled into the insurance and loan business, married Maria L. Burbidge, and had two daughters, Edna and Stella. Aten wrote a history of the 85th Illinois regiment, and spent many years researching his family genealogy with the intention of publishing it. He was unable to complete the history, and the work was taken up by relatives who continued his research. Henry J. Aten died in 1913.
From the description of Henry J. Aten papers, 1896-ca. 1920. (Newberry Library). WorldCat record id: 639607262
