Method

What does this index search and link?

The Amsterdam search function searches names and record metadata. A separate matcher supplies possible VOC mentions from the Confession Books.

Places

Earlier normalizations and curatorial data—for example, for VOC personnel—take precedence. Ambiguous links are excluded from the map.

VOC ⇄ Amsterdam

Both reconstructed people and relevant individual Amsterdam mentions may become VOC candidates. The research score combines name similarity (45 points), chronology (30), independent context (25), and an ambiguity penalty. A distinctive exact name with strong chronology may be published without additional context.

Open the VOC–Amsterdam connections →

People

Every indexed mention starts as a separate source observation with a stable record, name, and role combination. Distinctive exact names are grouped within an adaptive time window; very strong historical spelling variants use a narrower window. Relationships and life-event roles can strengthen a grouping further. Every person entity remains a reversible hypothesis.

VOC ⇄ Confessieboeken HTR

The HTR pages do not contain recognized person entities. The matcher therefore attempts to identify names through textual searches.

Open the Confession Books lead browser →

Amsterdam records
11,959,658
VOC employment records
774,200
Map observations
1,420,823

Sources: GeoNames · Natural Earth