His actual birth has not been determined, as it varies from 1845 on the 1880 census to 1850 on the 1900 census. Some of this appears to have been due to his underage enrollment in the Civil War.
In 1860 his is listed in Litchfield, PA with his parents, sister and half-brother as age 10, born in PA.
He enlisted in the Civil War in New York on 22 Aug 1864 as a private in Company G, New York 5th Cavalry Regiment, and was mustered out on 13 Jun 1865 at Staunton, VA.
He is listed with his parents, John and Mariah, back in Tioga Co, NY in 1865 at age 16 and born in Tioga Co, NY, where he is listed as having previously been in the military.
In the 1880 census for Menominee, MI he was listed as a carpenter (35, NY) living with his wife Esther (29 NH). They had a son later that year, Frank Jr, born in Nov 1880 in Wisconsin.
He also was married a second time on 25 Sept 1888 to Clara J. Bishop. At the time he was 39, a contractor and living in Menominee, MI and she was 33. The marriage record lists his parents as John Wiggins and Maria Bradley, and that this was his second marriage. It appears from their marriage license that she may have been orphaned. Pastor A.W. Bill of the Presbyterian Church performed the marriage.
On 4 Jan 1889 Clara bore a son John but the child died of a strangulated cord the same day (she must have been showing when they got married).
By 1900 they moved to Tacoma, WA where they are listed as Frank (Sept 1850) a builder married 13 yrs, with wife Clara J. (Aug 1856, NY), dau Irma (Aug 1890, OR), son Ray C. (Aug 1892, OR), and Frank (Nov 1880, WI) from his first marriage.
His death record lists his age as 69, which would imply an 1846 birth date.