Clouds of Sand

A charming, albeit  irritating, tradition among our ancestors was the naming of succeeding generations.  Especially among the Sand family boys, we find Peter, Paul, John, Nicholas, Michael and Joseph used over and over, in all combinations.  THEY knew who they meant, but WE sure don't.
Right now, Larry and I are trying to distinguish between a few John Sands. 
The first John we noticed was a deputy sheriff in Little Falls during the Bulow murder and hanging in 1888-89.  Known as JP, we assume it meant John Peter or John Paul.  Was he ours?

Another John Sand owned a general store in New Munich, Mn.  We found his photo, c 1909, on the Minnesota Reflections website :

 We figure this John was definitely related, especially because, when the photo is enlarged, you can see he also had light colored eyes.  And, we know our Mike Sand's uncle Paul settled in Stearns county, near St Joseph, only a couple towns away from New Munich. (A cousin, not Mike's bro).

A third John Sand showed up in Graham township in Benton County, east of Rice.  We found him when I went to the Benton Co History Museum and found Peter Sand's obit.  Peter was Mike Sand's father, too, so this John had to be Mike's brother, or our great grand uncle.  Ok, we know THIS ONE was ours, right?

But then, we know there was a John P Sand who lived west of Buckman, not far from Mike and Louisa, or from the Jansons.  John P. Sand was one of the character wittnesses (along with Ignatz Ronellenfitsch) when Joseph Janson became an American citizen.  This JP married Gertrude Ronellenfitsch, so Ignatz was his father-in-law.  Was this man Mike's eldest brother, John Peter?  He and Gertrude are buried in the Buckman cemetery.  But look, Gert's husband was John M...?

OK, then who was this John P Sand, in 1885 Buckman?....argh. 

Added Much Later:

John Peter Sand, the deputy, and John P. Sand, here in 1885 Buckman, are the same guy, Mike's oldest brother.  There was another John Sand in the family too, the one born while they lived in Iowa after emigrating.  He's the one above, living east of Rice, in Graham.  We think the same name was used to honor St John the Baptist....or Peter and Angelique were just messing with us, 

their descendants.

If you can shed light on any of these characters, let me know, or leave a comment, ok?  Thanks ☺