Hi Patricia, The name was spelled Reed on the marriage record in Guilford 1779. Back then last names changed randomly, partly due to a lack of spelling skills of census takers and of the people in general. Also, they often spelled it like it sounded. Also, some records are transcribed and the person couldn't read the handwriting. Some branches ended up one way while others went a different direction, even from the same ancestor line. For example, the "Strain" surname was sometimes spelled Strayhorn, Strahan, Strane and Strain, all from the same ancestor line. My Wilkie/Wilkey line shows up spelled Willkie, Willkey, Wilkin, Wilken, Wilkins and even Williams. The Bailey line was spelled Baley, Bailie, Bailey, Bayley, etc. My Custis line shows up sometimes as Curtis. Owens was spelled Owen, Owing, Owin, etc. A Carrington branch ended up Carrigan, apparently due to the census taker's error. Evolving spelling makes it a challenge to say the least! Gary