Bree and Roger were smart avoiding anything written about Claire and Jamie in Outlander

When Brianna and Roger head to their own time in Outlander Season 7, they decide not to research the past. This was, arguably, the best thing they could have done.

The two didn’t know that there was a box waiting for them with letters from the 1700s. At no point did the two believe that they would ever learn of what happened to Claire and Jamie. When the letters did arrive, they didn’t even go through them all immediately.

They chose to work through the letters slowly, knowing that once the letters were done, that was it. They were over, and it would mean the end of Claire and Jamie living in the past. At least, that’s what they would assume. Of course, there could be other reasons to stop writing.

Historical writing isn’t always accurate as Outlander proves

In the books, we learn that the date of the fire at Fraser’s Ridge was listed incorrectly due to the choice of the printer. It was all linked to font sizes and available fonts. It’s a ridiculous reason, but people didn’t really care about accuracy in the past, especially when it came to obituaries. It was only through the letters that Bree and Roger were able to learn the truth.

So, they both know that anything written in the past wasn’t always going to be accurate. Sure, Bree and Roger know that historians have to be as accurate as they can be. This comes up in Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone. However, most historians are going to write about royalty or famous people. The Frasers weren’t going to make the textbooks unless someone in the future had a reason to write about them.

Any information that Bree and Roger did get could be inaccurate. It would still be heartbreaking, though. Just look at the way Bree reacted when she did learn about the obituary. She went to the past without any regard for herself or her safety. People act out of character when faced with this sort of information.

Choosing not to learn anything meant that the two could just move forward with their lives. They could focus on their children and build a life together. It wasn’t that family was forgotten about, but they didn’t want to read potential lies or inaccuracies.

It wasn’t like when Roger was researching Jamie in Outlander

Bree and Roger don’t really need to know what Claire and Jamie are doing after they’ve left. At the point we see them in Outlander Season 7A, they’re not exactly planning on going back to the past. They decide to make a life for themselves in the present day.

During Outlander Season 3, Roger’s research into Jamie was to find out where he was. He found out that Jamie didn’t die at Culloden, and then he, Claire, and Brianna went into all the records to find out what happened to him as a prisoner. The problem is they got to a dead end until it came to a printer’s name and a quote that shouldn’t have been used.

Had Roger not thought about the quote that was used decades too early, he wouldn’t have even put it all together. Research in some things is only useful when you know a few more details already, and when you have a sole purpose for it.

And it’s not like the research would have been easy for Bree and Roger. They didn’t have Google in 1980! They’re 18 years too early for that!