Was this a source of inspiration for your approach?

No; actually, it simply grew organically! I started simply by connecting houses that occupy, since I've found that they tend to refer to a single event affecting multiple houses, and "connecting the dots" made that easier to follow. Over time, I've found that the stronger forms of company also matter a lot, so I just added them into the mix, too.


I wonder if it would be helpful to assign a color to each grouping and then use that color of marker to draw your connecting lines?

I tried this! For me, that makes everything too busy and my eyes lose track of what I'm looking at. I'm not a very visual person, though—I have aphantasia—and I get easily overwhelmed, so your mileage may vary.