Frank Lonestar was listed as playing for the Columbus Panhandles, an early NFL team, in 1920. Because he died in 1915, it seems likely that someone else played under his name. Not knowing much about him prompted me to look into his background a bit. His Carlisle Indian School student file contained a lot about what he did while there and after he left, but contained little about his heritage. It stated that his parents and only sister had all died of consumption. His only brother, John, was in good health and served as Frank’s guardian. A note in his file indicated that his brother had also been a Carlisle student.
John Lonestar’s Carlisle student file listed his parents as living at the time of his 1891 enrollment and that his father’s name was also John Lonestar. His Chippewa name was listed as Ke-wa-ge-zi-qne-ba. John left Carlisle in April 1895 to escort his sister. One assumes that she was ill and was taken home at that time. Unfortunately, I don’t know what her name was.
Bonnie Brandt of Spooner, Wisconsin has found some information on the Lonestars. In 1917, John inherited property from Ge bit we gi jig due to his being the son of this person. But who was this person? Bonnie located his marriage record to Rebecca Hart in February 1899. That record listed his father as John Star (perhaps just abbreviated his name) and his mother as Sarah Shinneway, a name that is often spelled a number of different ways. Frank’s death records indicated that his father, John, was born in Wisconsin and that his mother was Sarah Shiniwa, also born in Wisconsin.
John Lonestar the younger first appeared on the censuses in 1905. The elder John Lonestar doesn’t seem to appear on any of them. That may be due from them being members of the Lost Tribe of the Chippewas. Any information on the Lonestar family would be most appreciated.
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