b. 17/05/1874 Port Jervis, New York. d. 27/10/1941 Kittery, Maine.
DATE OF MOH ACTION: 11/05/1898 Cienfuegos, Cuba.
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.
MOH CITATION:
On board the U.S.S. Nashville during the operation of cutting the cable leading from Cienfuegos, Cuba, 11 May 1898. Facing the heavy fire of the enemy, Van Etten displayed extraordinary bravery and coolness throughout this period.
BURIAL LOCATION: PROSPECT CEMETERY, GREENLAND, NEW HAMPSHIRE.
LOCATION OF MEDAL: BELIEVED TO BE FAMILY.