Thomas Van Etten Jr was born in Port Jarvis, New York on Sept 20, 1836. He got his education in New York and then moved to St Paul, Minnesota to study law with his brother, Isaac Van Etten. Prior to the war he was both a law student and a member of the St Paul Pioneer Guard.

Upon the President's fist call for troops to serve for 90 days he and several of the Pioneer Guard volunteered. He was mustered and placed in Company A on April 29, 1861. Perhaps because of his experience in the Pioneer Guard he was appointed to the rank of sergeant when he was mustered. The government quickly decided that 3 months would not be enough time to put down the problems that were growing in the south. They asked all volunteers to reenlist for a period of 3 years or the duration of the war whichever was less in time. While many did re-enlist, about 1/3 of the men decided not to do so and returned to their homes. Thomas Van Etten was one of those. The Company A Muster Roll indicates that he was discharged on May 27, 1861.

Van Etten then returned to his home in Orange Co New York. On June 11, 1861, he wrote a letter to Sec of War Simon Cameron seeking a lieutenancy in the Regular Army. With it were letters of recommendation from Willis Gorman, commander of the 1st Minnesota, as well as from R A Nelson, the recruiting officer at Fort Snelling. However, it appears that he did not receive the promotion he sought.

He remained in New York until April 1862, when he returned to St Paul. There, he volunteered once again. On Aug 11, 1862, he was mustered as a private in Company A of the 6th Minnesota Infantry. His stay, however, lasted only 1 week.

On Aug 20, 1862, he was transferred to the 9th Minnesota Infantry to accept a commission as a 2nd lieutenant in Company I. Van Etten was promoted to 1st lieutenant on Sept 26, 1864, and captain on Jan 16, 1865. He was mustered out of service on May 12, 1865. During his service with the 9th while they sere stationed in Minnesota he participated in the fighting at Fort Ridgley and was present at Mankato and witnessed the noted execution of 38 Indians. Once the regiment was sent south, he participated in the battles at Nashville, Brice's Crossroads, Jefferson City, Vicksburg, Memphis, Montgomery and narrowly escaped imprisonment in Andersonville prison.

He returned to St Paul to complete his studies in the practice of law. After he had finished his studies and graduated he came to Sauk Rapids, MN, where he married Georgianna Hughes on June 18, 1868. Shortly after they were married they move to Bismark, in the Dakota Territory. They moved back to Sauk Rapids in the fall of 1882, and opened a law office. About a year after he arrived , he was elected to the position of auditor of Benton County. He also served as county attorney and for the last 15 years of his life he served as the city assessor in Sauk Rapids. During their marriage they had six children. Georgianna was not well and they spent one winter in New Orleans because of her doctor's suggestion that a change of climate might be good for her. Unfortunately, not long thereafter, on July 12, 1884, she died of consumption in Sauk Rapids.

Van Etten married Tillie Krueger in 1885. Together, they raised seven children. He became a prominent attorney in Sauk Rapids and Benton County. In 1897 and 1905, he signed pension declarations on behalf of Charles Berry, who served in Company E of the 1st Minnesota. Berry lived in Benton County also and that is undoubtedly how they knew each other. Though Van Etten didn't serve more than a month with the regiment and did not attend the unit's post war reunions he worked to help some of the veterans when he could.

Thomas Van Etten died in Sauk Rapids on Nov 27, 1913. He was buried in the Benton County Cemetery, Section 2, Lot 13, Grave 8W. He was 77 years old. Also buried in the same cemetery is the body of Henry Orcutt of the First Minnesota.

Sources:

St Paul Pioneer, Aug. 17, 1867.

Minnesota in the Civil & Indian Wars, p 681.

Military Pension File, Thomas Van Etten, Nat'l Archives, Wash DC.

Military Pension File, Charles Berry, Nat'l Archives, Wash DC.

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Thomas Jr Van Etten