Do you have photocopies of deeds and other records in your files that you collected long before county records were digitized and searchable online? If so, do those copies have source information written on them—and have you ever stopped to ask whether that information is actually correct?
As I’ve been revisiting the BRILES folder and relying more heavily on transcriptions generated through FamilySearch’s Full Text Search, I began trying to relocate today’s “digging”: a deed documenting the sale of land from Frederic Briles to George Briles. The handwritten notation on my photocopy identified the record as being from page 476 of Deed Book 20, Randolph County, North Carolina.
When I searched FamilySearch for George Briles in the 1810s, however, no Randolph County deeds appeared. What did surface was a record in Rowan County, North Carolina that matched my photocopy exactly—raising an immediate red flag about the accuracy of the original source citation written on the document.
Below is the transcription of that deed, followed by a closer look at what this discovery reveals about the importance of revisiting older research with today’s digital tools.
THIS INDENTURE 19th day of December in the
year of our Lord One Thousand Eight Hundred and fourteen BETWEEN Frederic Briles
of the county of Randolph in the State of North Carolina of the one part , and
George Bailes of the county of Rowan and late of North Carolina
of the other part : WITNESSETH , That the said Frederic Briles — for and in
consideration of the sum of Five hundred Dollars to him
in hand paid by the said George Briles the receipt whereof the said
Frederic Briles doth hereby acknowledge , HATH given , granted , bargained and
sold , aliened and confirmed , and by these Presents doth give , grant , bargain and sell , alien and confirm unto the
said George Briles his heirs and affigns for ever , ALL that tract and
parcel of LAND , situate , lying and being in the county of Rowan On both sides of Hambys Creek
Beginning at a poplar on the E. side of sd Creek Jacob Lops corner , thence South
73 Deg West with sd Lop’s line crossing sd Creek 17 Chs & 50 links to a Black Gum
thence South 41 Chas to a Stake then E 22 chs to a Black Oak , then S 7 Chs
to a pine then Et 13 chs to a pine then N 4 chs to a pine then E 12 chs & 30
links to a red Oak & then N. with Gasper Springles line 44 Chs to a Black Oak
then a Straight Course to the beginning containing two hundred acres
be the same more or less . Also one other tract on Same Waters Beginning
at a poplar Corner to Jacob Lops Survey & Corner of the above tract , thence
running E 26 chs to a Black Oak in Gasper Brunkles line , then North with
said line Crossing Hanby’s Creek 20 Chs to a Black Oak thence West 26
Ches & thence South to the beginning containing fifty two Acres
be the same more or less .
and also all the woods , ways , waters and water -courses , and all and every the appurtenances thereunto belonging ,
or in any wise appertaining , and the reversion and reversions , remainder and remainders , rents , issues and profits ,
of the aforesaid lands and premises , and every part thereof , and all the estate , right , title , interest , claims , pr0
perty and demand whatsoever of the said Frederic Briles
of , in , and to the land and premises hereby granted : To have and to hold the aforesaid lands and premises
with the appurtenances , unto the said George Briles his
heirs and assigns , to the proper use and behoof of the id George Briles his
heirs and affigns forever : And the said Frederic Briles . —for himself and his heirs , the aforesaid lands and premises , and every part thereof , against him
and his heirs , and again the claim or claims of all and every other person or persons whatsoever to the
said George Briles his heirs and assigns , shall and all will forever warrant
and defend by these presents . In Witness whereof the said Frederic Briles
hath hereunto set his hand and affixed his seal the day and year first above written .
Frederic (his mark) Briles (seal
Sealed and Delivered
in the presence of
John Briles
Ansel Perce
Rowan County ss August Sessions 1815 .
The within Deed was duly proven in open Court
by John Briles Recorded and ordered to be registered
Jno [Giles] CC
“Rowan, North Carolina, United States records,” images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-99DH-LS7S?view=explore : Jan 3, 2026), image 253 of 810; . Image Group Number: 007546108.
A Closer Look at the Discovery
This small but important discovery serves as a reminder that even careful researchers are limited by the tools available at the time the research was done. When this deed first found its way into my files, access to digitized county records and searchable transcriptions simply didn’t exist. A handwritten note identifying the record as a Randolph County deed was reasonable—and for years, it went unquestioned.
Today, tools like FamilySearch’s Full Text Search allow us to revisit those earlier finds with fresh eyes. In this case, doing so revealed that the deed belonged not in Randolph County but in neighboring Rowan County. The document itself hadn’t changed; only my ability to verify it had improved.
Revisiting older research isn’t about correcting past mistakes—it’s about strengthening our conclusions. Each time we re-examine a photocopy, transcription, or note using modern tools, we have an opportunity to confirm, clarify, or correct the record. And sometimes, as with this Briles deed, that closer look leads us exactly where we need to be.