Van Etten was born on May 17, 1874, in
Port Jervis, New York to Hudson Van Etten and Lydia Cuddeback Van Etten. His father committed suicide when he was six years old. After enlisting in the U.S. Navy he was sent to fight in the Spanish–American War aboard the gunboat
USS Nashville as a seaman. In 1914 he married Margaret Louise Van Etten at
Port Jervis, New York. They had four sons. He died on October 27, 1941. ==Medal of Honor citation==