I titled the submission, “Revolutionary Soldier!”
My description: “This is the final resting place of John Gibbs, who fought in the American Revolution.”
Supplemental information: “This gravestone of a soldier from the American Revolution lies in a historic cemetery in which no burials have taken place since the late 1800s. It is a well marked historic cemetery with foot trail access. It is culturally significant, and a great place to gather, explore, and exercise.”
This gravesite lies within Obeth Cemetery near Nebo, NC, USA. Ironically, the nearby historical marker which directs State Park visitors (the cemetery is within Lake James State Park) to this cemetery was accepted as a waypoint - i submitted that one at the same time. That historical marker lists this memorial by name.
I’ve already lost the appeal, as you can see, I’d just like a little insight to that. This isn’t an active cemetery, this grave is listed on the nearby historical marker… it seems to fit the criteria. Thanks in advance for any insights, observations.
Graves of famous/notable people can be considered.
Graveyards are sensitive locations, hence it needs to be something very special for a wayspot to be considered. In other words what is the backstory behind this grave that makes it fit the notable person group.
I’m not a historian so I can’t speak to how “notable” this gentleman was, but the state and the community erected a historical marker mentioning him specifically - information that was in the appeal. Are historical markers not enough proof of a person’s notability, or should we apply some other standard?
I would have put the supplemental information in the description.
The submitter always has to do the work to explain how or why the person is notable. Simply saying “this person is famous” or “this person has historical value” is not enough.
I suspect the rejection may come down to the difference between something being historic and something being historically notable.
I agree that an old cemetery with trails can be a pleasant place to explore and contemplate! But this nomination is specifically for John Gibbs’s gravestone, so the reviewer needs to understand why this particular person is significant.
There were many Revolutionary War soldiers, and reviewers aren’t necessarily going to assume that every one of their graves is independently significant. If there is something distinctive about Gibbs, that would absolutely be worth putting directly into the description or supporting statement and would strengthen the submission if you choose to try again.
@BlineMilline
I love a challenge. At the risk of sounding callous, there were lots of patriots who fought in the American Revolution. The task for the submitter is to show how this patriot is significant to to the community. A special marker was placed on his grave and he was referenced in another marker so, I would think we might find something to prove he was locally significant and get around the “sensitive location” problem.
This may be a start: https://www.geni.com/people/Rev-John-Gibbs-Sr/6000000003333877260
He was the Rev. John Gibbs and was a minister at three different Methodist churches in the area. He and his wife were married for over SEVENTY years and died days apart from each other. He gave land to start the Nebo meeting house, deeding it in 1844.
I see elsewhere:
On March 26, 1814, the First Meeting was held at Obeth Meeting House…Although William Fullwood and John Gibbs were listed as Deacons, they were indeed Ministers.
You may want to do some more research. If I was writing this I would not just mention his service in the American Revolution. I’d mention his role in the founding of the Obeth Meeting House and service as a minister. Perhaps I’d try to find some other way(s) he served the community
I’d probably include his long life within the community. He lived until the age of 91 (1755-1847). He applied and received a pension as an American Revolution veteran in 1844. I think it can be shown he was a notable member of that community.
Perhaps Wayfarer staff will change their decision on this, but don’t expect that. This can all be helpful when you resubmit.
Thanks for doing all that digging.
As someone in the UK i have learnt something today.
I don’t think the reviewers or the appeal reviewer did anything wrong in terms of the information they were presented with.
@BlineMilline you can try this again is the gravestone itself legible? His local significance makes for an interesting story. Worth a try.
Honestly, others did the research. I was just handy with a search engine to find it. 
And it helped that this location is about a 2.5 hour drive from where I live.
Hi, jojenreed64, pretty cool to see someone from my friends list in Go in the forum!
Clearly, Mr. Gibbs lived a more interesting life than the story told by the historical markers surrounding his final resting place. I may revisit the location, but it was a bit of an “off the path” journey for me as I traveled back to my home in Asheville, and my schedule doesn’t often allow for those.
This gets to why I posted this up to the forum. Acceptance and rejection just seem so random, and even more so since the AI took over the initial reviews. As I travel, I err on the side of getting interesting places to gather, explore, and/or exercise on to the map. As such, one could probably more fully describe any of the hundreds of waypoints I’ve created across the country, including quite a few in Alamance County! When the game has it’s next “edit” event, I might need to share some of those locations with you. 
Many thanks to you, and the other commenters, for your insights.
With draft websubmit I have started creating a few spare drafts if its a location that is one I am unlikely to get back to. They are then there if I need to resubmit or I can just delete if it all goes well.
