Hi, Mitzi,
From my census notes:

1870 Ballard Co KY
Dist 2, 17 Aug 1870, Columbine (I questioned if I had spelled this name correctly)
160-165 - CATES, Rufus 38, grocery keeper 00/$365 b TN
Nancy A. 26 TN
John N. 3 MO
Jamie G. 4/12 KY

I'm wonderinf it this man is the following:
1860 Hickman County TN Census
118-147 - CATES, Rufus A. 27
E. (female) 33
W. (male) 23
Warren, Mary A. 28

and if there could be a connection to the following family found also in the 1860 Hickman Co TN Census
CATES, John N. 58
Jane 48
J.W. 19
T.H. (m.) 15
E. (f.) 10
M.F. (f.) 07
Alice 07

John Nealy Cates m. Jane Ferguson 13 Jun 1830 in Williamson Co TN. He was born ca. 1803 NC. If you are interested, they had a dau Elizabeth Caroline m.2) James Madison Forrester. I gleaned this from Rootsweb's World Connect.

I think other children of John and Jane (besides Elizabeth and Rufus) were Sarah A., William F., John W., Emily J., Thomas H., Elijah, Mary E., Margaret F., and Alice. They lived in 1850 in Maury Co TN and 1870 in Hickman County. This is more than you wanted to know. They are not my line of Cates; my interest was because my Cates lived in Maury County TN very early.
Dorann