Understanding Errors Made During Microfilming

 Bedford County Tennessee deed books O-R were microfilmed by the Tennessee State Library and  Archives and are digitally available via FamilySearch in Image Group Number 008150799.  I'm so thankful to have these records and others like them available to access from home.  

The IGN 8150799 images might be confusing to some because of errors in the target images.  Target images are documents added that give additional information about the item being microfilmed. Some examples are: End of roll, End of item, Tight Binding, Smeared Ink, etc.  Volume O contains deeds for 1821-1822 and has an index for those deeds at the front of the book.  While the dates covered are correct the book is more than an index.

Volumes P, Q, and R are also listed incorrectly as Index Books on the target images but now we have an additional error.  The person who created the handwritten target pages wrote 19 instead of 18 for the first two numbers of the year. 

 

Volume P

Volume Q

Volume R

Thankfully, FamilySearch has it listed correctly on their site. It is essential that you know what records you are using. A citation is more than just a road map back to the source, it requires understanding the why and when of the record creation as well as recognizing any errors made in the transferring of that record to a different format. This is just one example of errors you might encounter while researching.

Notes:  

Bedford Co TN Deed Books(w/ front index) IGN 008150799

Volume O   Images 6-227
Volume P    Images 229-457
Volume Q   Images 459-659
Volume R   Images 661-931