Talk:Herman Norton Barnum

Speedy deletion tag[edit]

Reasons why I'm tagging this article for speedy deletion:

The one reference used does not seem to mention his name in any form (link, full text here)
I could only find one reference online (minus genealogical results) that just mentions his name, if it is even him
The "notable work" attributed to him within the article ("Days of Tragedy in Armenia: Personal Experiences in Harpoot, 1915-1917") seems to have been written by someone else entirely (on Google Books here)
He is mentioned at Hamidian massacres#Massacres mentions him but with just a long quote that is vaguely sourced to "Armenia, Volume 1. p. 35." which isn't in the bibliography and was added to the article by the creator of this article

I see no indication of notability. Rhinopias (talk) 23:02, 27 January 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Contested deletion[edit]

This article should not be speedily deleted for lack of asserted importance because this person witnessed a historical event, he was also considered "Dr. Barnum has for a long time been generally regarded as one of the most competent missionaries sent out from America" --96.252.72.243 (talk) 23:08, 27 January 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Witnessing a historical event is not sufficient to achieve notability, which is necessary for a person to be the subject of an article. Rhinopias (talk) 23:11, 27 January 2018 (UTC)[reply]

I should note that he's mentioned at https://books.google.com/books?id=kjLiAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA325&lpg=PA325&dq=Herman+Norton+Barnum&source=bl&ots=ZDveQALmt6&sig=zmb8D2QHMB9XN10XHCLhBJJFYGo&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwim8Z7QqfnYAhWCw4MKHUjPDbEQ6AEIcDAR#v=onepage&q=Herman%20Norton%20Barnum&f=false. Maybe I should have clarified the existing citation. The linked source is where I got the material with which I updated the article. Perhaps more info can be found with more research? Not sure we should delete the article just yet, personally; saving 300 people from the Armenian Genocide is a bit notable. Centibyte ^(talk) 23:48, 27 January 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Here's a few sources that mention him, even in passing (They may not be particularly notable, though):

Centibyte ^(talk) 00:00, 28 January 2018 (UTC)[reply]

@Centibyte: ah, thanks for the Google Books link. My bad for the oversight of his inclusion in the necrology; archive.org's "full text" doesn't seem to actually be that…

I've refactored the text to reflect the source, and the event does sound quite important, but I can't help but be wary of his notability still. Given that the text of the article (and his deemed importance) is based off of his obituary published by his alma mater, do these findings mean he has significant coverage in reliable, secondary sources? The alma mater is most certainly not independent of the subject. Rhinopias (talk) 23:41, 28 January 2018 (UTC)[reply]

@Rhinopias: Well, I've found a few other sources about him of possible interest:

Centibyte ^(talk) 01:08, 29 January 2018 (UTC)[reply]