Can I Trust the Informant's Information When Only His/Her Last Name Is Given? -- Thomas H. Nelson's Death Certificate

Thomas H. Nelson, son of Robert and Jane (Watson) Nelson.  I searched for this death certificate knowing, or at least hoping, that it would name his parents, thereby confirming some already-collected information. 

This is the death certificate.

This is the transcription.

State of Ohio
Bureau of Vital Statistics
Certificate of Death
PLACE OF DEATH   County of Jefferson   Registration District No. 2698   File No. 43634
Village of Mingo Jct    Registered No. 45.
  2   FULL NAME   Thomas H. Nelson
PERSONAL AND STATISTICAL PARTICULARS
  3   SEX   Male
  4   COLOR OR RACE   White
  5   Widowed
  6   DATE OF BIRTH   Jan 31, 1842
  7   AGE   76 yrs.   5 mos.   27 da.
  8   OCCUPATION   Retired
  9   BIRTHPLACE   Ohio
PARENTS [lines 10-13]
10   NAME OF FATHER   Robert W. Nelson
11   BIRTHPLACE OF FATHER   England
12   MAIDEN NAME OF MOTHER   Don’t Know
13   BIRTHPLACE OF MOTHER   England
14   THE ABOVE IS TRUE TO THE BEST OF MY KNOWLEDGE
        (Informant)              Nelson
        (Address)    Steubenville O
15   Filed   July 30 , 1918      G. E. Fithen
                                                     Deputy Registrar
MEDICAL CERTIFICATE OF DEATH
16   DATE OF DEATH   July 27, 1918
17   I HEREBY CERTIFY, That I attended deceased
from Dec. 20", 1917, to July 26, 1918
that I last saw him alive on July 26, 1918,
and that death occurred, on the date stated above, at 10 34 a m.
The CAUSE OF DEATH was as follows:
Chronic Interstitial Nephritis
(Signed) Edward J. G. Sanders , M. D.
July 29" , 1918            (Address)   Steubenville, O....
18   [blank]
19   PLACE OF BURIAL OR REMOVAL  Union      DATE OF BURIAL  July 30, 1918
20   UNDERTAKER   D. F. Coe   Steubenville O

Comments
I was surprised to see Thomas H.'s father's name as "Robert W. Nelson" on this record.  To date, every document I've found (there are at least eight of them) with Robert Nelson's name on it gives his name as "Robert Nelson" or "Robert Nelson Sr."  Other than on FamilySearch Family Tree (where another researcher chose to include the W.), this is the first time I find "my" Robert Nelson identified as "Robert W. Nelson," and the first record in which I see him with that middle initial.  Can it be accurate?  Should the number of documents I have indicate whether to include that middle initial?

The informant's last name is the only one given.  Who might it be?  Thomas H.'s son?  Robert's brother?  Or possibly a grandson of Thomas H.?  Can I trust the information from an unknown informant?  How well did he/she know the family?  Where did the information of Robert's name come from?  I understand that any informant can give the wrong information, including a close relative, one who doesn't really know the family, or one who assumes information.  And I realize that no informants were alive at the birth of their parents.  But I'm really hesitant to accept this informant's information, especially because it is the only time I've seen Robert Nelson with the middle initial of W.

I had so hoped this record would settle that problem of the "W" middle initial.  Not yet, I guess.  And does it really matter in the long run?

I did not expect to see Jane Watson's name on this record.  The moms and their maiden names usually seem to be forgotten, or not known.

How much weight do you put on information given by an informant, whether or not you know who it is?

—Nancy.

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