I was born in Columbia, Adair County, Kentucky. The older relatives back there were very secretive about our heritage... before they passed away. They would say "leave the dead rest in peace" or "if you find what you are looking for, you won't be happy with what you find". The only thing I could get out of them was that our earliest known ancestor, Zachariah Collins was born (1780-1785) in NC or maybe VA. That his parents died and were buried in Tennessee while making the trip to KY from NC by covered wagon. According to census information in Adair County, KY, Zachariah's first son, Aaron, was born in NC and his wife, Edna was born in NC. But, the NC Bride and Groom Book has no record of a marriage between Edna and Zachariah. I haven't been able to find a marriage record in KY, TN or VA. I keep wondering what the family is trying to hide. Why the secrecy? Rumor is that some of the Collins and Ennis (allied families) boys married Cherokee Indians while in Burke Co., NC. I find it difficult to believe that the family would have been ashamed of Indian blood. My maternal great-great grandmother was one-half Cherokee and my paternal great-grandmother was one-half Cherokee and nobody seems ashamed of that... In fact it is a source of pride! So I wondered if maybe he was black or something like that that they were trying to hide. I've been checking into Afro-American geneology but I haven't found anything. It is a puzzle. Without the names of his parents or even the county in Tennessee where they are buried it is anybody's guess who his parents were. If they had everything they owned packed onto a covered wagon and owned no real property at the time, I doubt that a Will was even probated. Sometimes I even wonder if the bits of information that the family gave me was any good or if they were trying to lead me off the trail! The only independent information that I can somewhat rely on is the census information which points to North Carolina. Among the allied families, I've found the Aaron, Ennis, Sparks and Rippetoes in Burke Co., NC (now Caldwell County) so I suspect that he lived in Burke Co. and made the trip to KY with the allied families... So far, the trail ends with Adair Co., KY. I would appreciate any suggestions anybody might have. Ruth A Collins [rac@azstarnet.com]