Henry Kahn was born in [[Bloomington, Indiana]] in 1860 to Isaac (1829-18871829–1887) and Bella ([[née]] Hirsch) Kahn (c. 1840-18861840–1886).<ref name="IJHS">{{Cite book|last=Himm|first=Katie|url=https://images.indianahistory.org/digital/collection/p16797coll18/id/1220|title=There are Jews in Southern Indiana: the Bloomington story|last2=Ruegamer|first2=Lana|date=2009|publisher=Indiana Jewish Historical Society|year=|isbn=|location=[[Fort Wayne, Indiana]]|pages=|language=English|oclc=467966483}}</ref> Isaac emigrated from France in 1844 and settled in Bloomington, where he married Bella in 1856. Bella was the daughter of of French immigrants who arrived in [[Louisiana]] prior to 1850 and eventually settled in [[Cincinnati, Ohio]]. Henry had two sisters, Clementine (1858-1914) and Cora (1868-1898). Isaac Kahn was a businessman and owned several clothing stores in Bloomington. In 1866, the Kahns moved to Indianapolis where Henry attended public schools before studying at [[Butler University]].
