Assuming and "He Who Shall Not Be Named"

One of the things I try very hard to do in Casefile Clues when analyzing one document is to "bring in" facts that are not stated in the document. The real reason for doing this is so that I can focus on analyzing the one document I have.

A master's deed from 1913 will be featured in the issue I'm working on today. The deed does not state the name of the property owner who had died and whose real estate was the focus of the deed. I realized that I simply "threw his" name in the analysis of the record even though it was not given in the deed.

When putting together complete research one should use all the information they have, but it is always worth remember what information is stated in a record and what information is not. In this case, I have good reason to know the name of the deceased landowner, but there are times when we may be too hasty in making an assumption.