Henry J. Aten was born in Fulton County, Illinois on October 12, 1841, the son of Richard and Ann (Peterson) Aten. His ancestors were of Holland Dutch descent, arriving in New York in the 17th century, and his grandfathers and great-grandfathers served in the American Revolutionary War and the War of 1812.

Aten served in the 28th Illinois Infantry and the 85th Infantry during the U.S. Civil War. After the war, he graduated from the Chicago Business College and in 1870 moved to Kansas. When Hiawatha, Brown County, was organized, he was appointed city clerk for two years. He also was elected clerk of the court and mayor of Hiawatha in the 1870s, as the temperance candidate. In 1889 he was appointed a commissioner to negotiate with the Kickapoo and Potawatomi for their lands in Kansas, and he was later appointed special alloting agent for both tribes.

Aten was a land, loan, and insurance agent for his career while living in Kansas. He was a member of the Odd Fellows, Society of the Army of the Cumberland, and the Grand Army of the Republic. He wrote a history on the 85th Illinois regiment.

Henry J. Aten married Maria L. Burbidge in 1870, and they had two daughters, Edna and Stella. Aten died on March 7, 1913.

[Information retrieved from findagrave.com.]