Bruce, You maybe having difficulty tracking the Robinson/Robertson, Byrd lines as these are known Cherokee lineages. Try doing a GOOGLE search on these surnames with Cherokee in the subject line and see if that helps. They could also be Choctaw or Chickasaw, but try Cherokee first. For example our Hicks line goes back to 1740 VA and he has a full blood Cherokee wife. From this point through out the 1800's the descendants list on census records that they are from TN, when they are actually from VA, AL, TN and GA. Pay particular attention to the time frame and make sure that the state listed had been formed. If in fact they are Native American, then the fun begins, some stay, some are on the Trail of Tears, some "escape" and are found in ILL and IND and others are in TX and ARK. I found very little on the Hicks, until I discovered the Cherokee link. Good Luck. Sandi Simpson