How are the related articles matched?
- Details
- Category: FAQs
- Posted: 28 November 2011
"More Stuff" should probably actually be "Maybe More Stuff?" but that wouldn't fit in the column.
The related articles are determined by keyword matches. The first articles in the list are ranked according to the number of keywords contained in them that match the one you are viewing. Below those, in alphabetical order, are the articles that only have one keyword in common with the current article.
For obituaries and news articles, we used the significant surnames for the keywords. This includes parents, spouses, children and other relatives, and sometimes other people who are mentioned in the obituary. We did not use names of doctors, undertakers or other officials, such as police officers or firemen.
For the wills, we used the names of family members and others specifically mentioned in the document, as well as the names of the witnesses. We did not include the names of clerks or judges.
Common surnames, such as Smith, Jones or Taylor, will come up with links to possibly related articles that aren't really related at all. But if you've been researching names like this, you already know that.
For the cemeteries, we used the cemetery name. Please note, however, that there are sometimes cemeteries of the same name in different counties.
For instance, there is a "Botts" cemetery in both DeKalb and Pettis counties. The Botts Cemetery in DeKalb county hasn't been found or indexed. The Botts Cemetery in Pettis county, however, has a surname index, a PDF file and photographs.
We try to catch these, but you'll need to pay attention. Each cemetery page clearly indicates which county that cemetery is in.
