John,
Nice bit of research. I agree that all three are the same man, but I have a problem with a former member of Shelby's brigade living in Lawrence, KS as soon after the war as August 1865. Not impossible, but seems unlikely. If it really was the man we seek, his tinner work must have led him there, and I'll bet he kept his politics as a close-held secret while he was there.

By the way, a man living in Cooper County then in the county seat of Johnson County is a very good candidate for later being a member of Shelby's brigade, because of the large southern population in both places and the proximity of where Shelby recruited his men in Lafayette and Saline Counties.

Bruce Nichols