Frank B. Hean, according to the U.S. Census records, was born B. Frank Hean in the year 1841, in the town of Lebanon in Lebanon County, Pennsylvania in the United States. He was the son of John Hean and Francis Rose Hean of Mt. Union, Pennsylvania who were born in 1805 and 1809, respectively.

The father, John Hean, came from Truro, Cornwall, England and met Francis Rose from Canada; and they were married around 1819 or 1820. They had 2 sons, B. Frank and “John” Hean, both born in Lebanon and John had a daughter, Augusta Hean Dearth, who was married to Dr. Walter Alfred Dearth, Sr., and 3 sons; Harry, Irwin and William Goodyear Hean, also born in Lebanon. William had a son, Frank Rahn Hean, who was born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, who had a daughter, Elizabeth Hean Stone. William was a Pennsylvania lawyer and secretary to the Pennsylvania Pardon Board; until he died in 1961.

The first John Hean, the father, was a superintendent of the Union Canal in Pennsylvania, which ran through both Lebanon and Dauphine counties. The Union Canal was a towpath canal that existed in southeastern Pennsylvania during the 19th century. First proposed in 1690 to connect Philadelphia with the Susquehanna River, it ran approximately 75 miles, or 20 kilometers, from Middletown on the Susquehanna River below Harrisburg to Reading on the Schuylkill River. It was designated a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark in 1970 and the tunnel in Lebanon is the oldest existing transportation tunnel in the United States. John, the son, was also a superintendent of the Union Canal for some 25 years. During that time John married Elizabeth Ann Goodyear.  William Goodyear Hean, his son, was founder of the 20th Century Shoe Company with some 20 stores, until he was wiped out by the Great Depression.

Beyond this, little is known about Frank’s life or his family in the U.S.. The August 1850 Township Census Records lists Frank B. Hean under the name “Franklin” at age 12, with five brothers and sisters, which could be in error, as  the 1860 U.S. Census records list him as Franklin Hean, age 19 and living in Lebanon, Lebanon County, Pennsylvania. until he enlisted as a Private at 21 years of age in into the 93rd Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, a three year regiment, on October 12, 1861 at his home town of Lebanon; where he was employed as a millwright. He was then mustered into “F” Company. Records reveal he was a man of light complexion, had blue eyes and sandy colored hair and was 5 feet 6 inches tall. Frank’s first position in his company was that of an Orderly Sergeant, then on October 28, 1861 he was promoted to the rank of 1st Sergeant, then to the rank of 1st Lieutenant on August 4, 1862, was listed as being wounded, on May 3, 1863, at Salem Heights, Virginia, promoted again on January 1, 1864 to the rank of Captain and lastly to the rank of Brevet Major on April 2, 1865. He was finally mustered out of service on June 27, 1865 at Washington, D.C..

The 93rd Volunteer Infantry Regiment was organized at Lebanon, Pennsylvania  from September 21st through October 28, 1861. Once organized it left Lebanon for Washington, D.C. on November 21st; attached to Peck's Brigade, Couch's Division, Army Potomac. It remained with Peck’s Brigade until March 1862 in the Defenses of Washington when it joined the 3rd Brigade, 1st Division, 4th Army Corps, Army Potomac. With the 1st Division it advanced on Manassas, Virginia on March 10th through the 15th then moved to the Peninsula on March 25th , participating in the Siege of Yorktown from April 5th through May 4th and the Battle of Williamsburg on May 5th. From May 20th through the 23rd it performed reconnaissance to the Chickahominy and Bottom's Bridge and took part in the Battle of Fair Oaks, better known as Seven Pines, from May 31st through June 1st. From June 25th through July 1st it also saw action in the fighting of Seven Days at Richmond, also at Malvern Hill on July 1st at Seven Pines again on July 27th and at Harrison's Landing until August 16th. It then moved to Alexandria and on to Centreville from August 16th through the 30th; covering Pope's retreat to the Fairfax Court House for three days from August 30th until September 1, 1862.

After that it joined the 2nd Brigade, 3rd Division, 6th Army Corps, Army Potomac at Chantilly on September 1st, fought in the Maryland Campaign from September 6th through the 24th, did reconnaissance to Harper's Ferry and Sandy Hook from September 12th through the 14th, participated as a reserve unit at the Battle of Antietam on September 16th & 17th. It was relocated to Downsville, Maryland from September 20th through October 20th and moved to the Stafford Court House from October 20th through November 18, 1862.

In November it joined the 3rd Brigade, 3rd Division, 6th Army Corps and moved to Belle Plains on December 5th. On December 12th through the 15th it participated in the Battle of Fredericksburg and was a part of Burnside's second Campaign, known as the "Mud March," from January 20th through January 24, 1863. It remained at Falmouth until April, in the Chancellorsville Campaign from April 27th through May 6th, in operations at Franklin's Crossing from April 29th through May 2nd, at Maryes Heights, Fredericksburg on May 3rd, at Salem Heights on May 3rd & 4th at which time Hean was wounded,  Banks' Ford on May 4th, at the Gettysburg Pennsylvania Campaign from June 13th through July 24th, and in the Battle of Gettysburg from July 2nd throuth the 4th. They spent from July 5th through the 24th in pursuit of General Lee, did duty on the line of the Rappahannock until October and was in the Bristoe Campaign from October 9th through the 22nd. It then advanced to the Rappahannock on November 7th & 8th, was at Rappahannock Station on November 7th and participated in the Mine Run Campaign from November 26th through December 2, 1863.

The 93rd then joined Wheaton's Brigade, Dept. West Virginia, during which time Hean was promoted to Captain and the Regiment reenlisted on February 7, 1864; remaining with Wheaton’s Brigade until March 1864. It then became part of the 1st Brigade, 2nd Division, 6th Army Corps, Army Potomac, and the Army of Shenandoah where it remained until June, 1865.

 It then saw duty at Brandy Station until May, was in the Rapidan Campaign from May 4th through June 12th, participated in the Battles of the Wilderness from May 5th through the 7th, at Spottsylvania from May 8th through the 21st, participated in the  Assault on the Salient on May 12th, moved to the  North Anna River from May 23rd through the 26th, was on line of the Pamunkey from May 26th through the 28th, at Totopotomoy from May 28th through the 3st, at  Cold Harbor from June 1st through the 12th and at Petersburg on June 17th & 18th.

It then participated in the Siege of Petersburg until July 9th, was on Jerusalem Plank Road on June 22nd & 23rd, relocated to Washington. D.C. from July 9th through the 11th and was part of the  Defense of Washington when Early attacked on July 11th & 12th. After Washington it was in pursuit to Snicker's Gap from July 14th through the 18th, part of  Sheridan's Shenandoah Valley Campaign from August until December and moved on to Charlestown on August 21st & 22nd. It then moved on Gilbert's Ford and Opequan Creek on September 13th, participated in the Battle of Opequan, Winchester on September 19th, at  Strasburg on September 21st, at Fisher's Hill on September 22nd, was in the Battle of Cedar Creek on October 19th and did duty in the Shenandoah Valley until December;  Moving on  to Petersburg from December 9th through the12th. Its last action in 1864 was in the Siege of Petersburg; from December, 1864 until April, 1865.

From February 5th through the 7th, 1865, the 93rd saw action at Dabney's Mills, Hatcher's Run, at Fort Fisher, Petersburg on March 25th, participated in the  Appomattox Campaign from March 28th through April 9th, was part of the  assault on and the fall of Petersburg on April 2nd, when Hean achieved the rank of Brevet Major, and again the 93rd pursued General Lee, from April 3rd through the 9th. On April 9, 1865 the 93rd was present at the Appomattox Court House for the surrender of General Robert E. Lee and his army. They then march to Danville from April 23rd through the 27th, doing duty there until May 23rd, before moving on to Richmond, Virginia and then on to Washington. D.C.; from May 23rd through June 3rd. The 93rd participated in the Corps Review June 8th and was mustered out of service on June 27, 1865.

Other than information from Regimental Records and one discovery of information in the Official Records index, little is known of Hean’s personal experiences in military service. The Official Records of the War of the Rebellion records the following report; signed by B. Frank Hean;

Hean became very prominent after the war, as shown in the records of the 93rd Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry; as a member of the Veterans Association Reunion Executive Committee. He was last listed in the records of 1888, while living in the town of Cornwall, Pennsylvania; as there were no reunions held from 1889 through 1901.

After the war Hean was employed as a Deputy Prothonotary, or a Chief Court Clerk; which is what he was working at when he decided to sail for Australia, arriving in 1895; the same year in which he died.

Pennsylvania Township Census records reveal that on June 1st and 2nd, 1880, Hean, recorded as Frank B. Hain, was a boarder, working as a clerk, had a wife named Malinda, age 43, 2 daughters ages 18 and 10 and 4 sons; Duscfla [sic] 19, Grant T, 15, John M., 12, and Paul W., 8. He also had living with him a John E. Hain, age 44 who worked as a house carpenter.

No one has determined why Hean left the United States, but upon arriving in Australia in 1895, and relocating to St. Kilda, Victoria, Hean must have been in a severe state of depression; because on the last day of that very year, Frank B. Hean at the age of 54 took his own life; while residing in Her Majesty Hotel. On January 2, 1896 the well known Melbourne newspaper, The Age, carried an article describing the discovery of his body.

“While enjoying an early morning stroll along the Marine-parade, St. Kilda, yesterday, a resident of Barkley-street named Thomas Jarvisbmade a ghastly discovery. His attention was attracted by a glittering object clasped in the right hand of a man lying ona vacant piece of land abutting the parade, Stepping across he found the body of a man, who was bleeding from a wound in the head, and who held a revolver in his right hand. It needed but a glance to see that the man was dead, and Jarvis hurried away to the police station and gave information. Constable keaney was sent to the scene, and found the body as described. It was the body of a man apparently about 50 years of age, with a bullet wound in his head. An examination showed that the revolver was loaded in four chambers, and that a fifth had recently been discharged. On the deceased’s right arm was found tattooed, in red and blue, the figure of a French soldier, and beneath this was the name “B.P. Hean”. [sic] Deceased was comfortably clad, but no papers were discovered that would point to his identity. A sum of 9d. was found in his pockets. All the circumstances indicate that the deceased committed suicide, and the body has been removed to the morgue, where an inquest will be held.”

His body was in fact transported to a morgue in East Melbourne where the inquest was held.  From there his body was removed for burial in the Melbourne General Cemetery where he was interred in the Church of England Section, Compartment HH, grave number 1415a in Common Ground. Unfortunately, this area, public/ unmarked graves, many years ago was reclaimed, meaning the public burials are underneath and private burials are now on top. There is today a private grave situated on top of Hean’s grave; belonging to a different family.

Frank B. Hean was one of the highest ranking American Civil War officer veterans of either side to be buried in Australia. Others officers included Major Zenas Rennie, buried the South Head Cemetery, Waverly, New South Wales;  Major James Brown Campbell, buried in Boroondara Cemetery in Kew, a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria and Captain Palle de Rosencrantz, buried in the South Rockhampton Cemetery, in Rockhampton, Queensland.

An offer was made to the cemetery in which Frank B. Hean is buried to acquire a bronze memorial plaque at no cost, made by the American Veterans Administration and shipped free of charge to the cemetery, to honor his memory and service as an Australian American Civil War veteran; but it was declined. The cemetery will not accept or allow any plaque to be accepted or installed unless a fee of $110.00 is paid for the privilege of doing so. As such, his gravesite remains unmarked. It is hoped this will one day be rectified.

Descendants of the Lebanon Hean’s have been discovered in New Zealand, Vancover, Canada, Florida, California and New York City in the U.S. and Sydney, New South Wales in Australia.

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