Before the Civil War the Limestone County Holt's owned many slaves. Beginning with the 1870 census I have to be very careful and check and recheck census records because in one or more cases the census taker miscopied the race when he was making the required three copies of the day's works to submit to the officials. I was researching a white James Holt only to discover that the person I thought he might be was a black man. Don't be mislead by like or similar names. Cynthia was a commonly used name. I have yet to find any link with the Hardin Co., TN Holts. The Limestone County census takers were not the most careful census takers. Under another surname (Hastings or Hasting or Hasten) I have researched one man who lived more than seventy years in Limestone county. For the seven decades the household in which he was living was enumerated, there was only one accurate enumeration. As an adult Tom lived at the top of a hill that was difficult to navigate. The census taker apparently took the word of anyone he encountered going up that hill. As a child the census taker "gave" Tom his step-father's surname; as an adult a former slave, who was nursing Tom's sick wife was once listed as his wife. The wife's name was not even listed as a member of the household, etc., etc. Tom was married 3 times. He had grandchildren and g-grandchildren older than some of his own children. His last wife was younger than his children by his first wife and half of those by his second wife. The grandkids were frequent visitors in his household. Consequently some of them were often listed as Tom's children. To further complicate the situation, Tom's last wife had several children born out of wedlock to one or two of Tom's sons by the second wife. It was a real challenge identifying all the members of his household and the households of his children. I actually had to track the black Hastings to figure out what happened. I was able to communicate with some of the former slaves descendants whose family lore provided invaluable help in sorting out Tom's household. Once I had the full story, all the pieces began to fall into place. I now have identified all but one of Tom's kids and there seems to be much confusion about that individual who may or may have ever lived. Ruth