Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/John H. Craycroft


 * The following discussion is an archived debate of the proposed deletion of the article below. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review).  No further edits should be made to this page.

The result was   delete. BJ Talk 01:57, 10 September 2008 (UTC)

John H. Craycroft

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Non-notable. This article appears to be a personal geneological project but there is nothing in the article to show that the subject is notable. &mdash; G716  &lt;T·C&gt; 17:13, 1 September 2008 (UTC)

While this article is admittedly the result of genealogical research, John Craycroft was a notable person in Downieville, CA. He may not have been a major player on the world stage but he played a key role in the history of Downieville and is still well thought of there. --Cray4348 (talk) 23:29, 1 September 2008 (UTC) 
 * Note: This debate has been included in the list of California-related deletion discussions.   --  Fabrictramp  |  talk to me  20:19, 3 September 2008 (UTC)
 * Comment: This book shows that Craycroft was one of the first commissioners of Sierra County. While that alone doesn't meet WP:N, it does indicate notability may be found in a search of newspapers of the era. -- Fabrictramp |  talk to me  20:25, 3 September 2008 (UTC)
 * Comment: There is also the Surveyor General's reported survey on the "Immigrant Road" to Downieville of which John Craycroft was a member. This is cited in the article.--Cray4348 (talk) 20:49, 4 September 2008 (UTC)
 * Relisted to generate a more thorough discussion so that consensus may be reached. Please add new comments below this notice. Thanks, Mr.Z-man 02:53, 6 September 2008 (UTC)

Comment: There is some speculation about John's date of birth, however using accepted genealogical rules of evidence, i.e. preponderance of evidence, I have proven to the satisfaction of other members of the family the accuracy of what I have presented here. I have not gone to the extent of presenting all the evidence here however. As for the balance of the information, using the same rules of evidence I have proven beyond a reasonable doubt that the man born in May of 1820 in Maryland, the man who owned the saloon in Downieville and the man who died in Austin, Nevada, are all the same person. As for John's "notability" I was not aware that a person had to be a major player on the world stage to "gain admission" here.
 * Delete. Way too much speculation about a person, who wasn't that notable in the first place. Even his date and place of birth are uncertain. The family genealogists are guessing the various references they found refer to the same person because of the name and reasonably consistent dates, but is guesswork appropriate for an encyclopedia? Clarityfiend (talk)

John Craycroft was a major figure in Downieville, being a prominent citizen of the town and major businessman. He served on the first County Board of Commissioners, and played a key role in opening a new wagon road into the area, which was the Sierra Nevada Mountains. He may not have achieved prominence as a President or even a governor of a state but he played a key role in a major episode of American History, namely the 1849 Gold Rush. --Cray4348 (talk) 16:33, 9 September 2008 (UTC)
 * Delete. Nice family history but there's nothing here that indicates the subject meets WP:BIO. Nuttah (talk) 16:45, 9 September 2008 (UTC)
 * Delete Since the common consensus is against this article and I am the writer please go ahead and delete this article. I am tired of defending it and the elitist attitude here. --Cray4348 (talk) 19:29, 9 September 2008 (UTC)


 * The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the debate. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this page.