The Mysterious Alice Pagett

The Mysterious Alice Kirkendall/Pagett

Some seven years after the 1848 death of James W. Kirkendall Sr., his widow Delilah had a daughter named Alice. In the 1860 census, Kirkersville, she is listed as "Alice" in the Delilah Kirkendall household. In the old Bible, her photo is annotated "Allie Kirkendall Paget". My mother's recollection, handed down from her mother, is "Allie Pagett". In the 1850 census, on the same page as the Delilah Kirkendall family is found Eli Pagett, age 32 (one year older than Delilah), born Maryland, occupation carpenter, and living in the Kirkersville hotel. Unfortunately the 1870 census of Licking County, Ohio does not show a single Kirkendall family, even though we know the James W. Kirkendall Jr. family was living there, either at Kirkersville or on Deeds Road at the time, and Delilah and the younger children were still living at Kirkersville. Apparently the census enumerator was not so diligent that year. I cannot find any further information about Alice -- no marriage records or other civil records in Licking County, and no census listings. Delilah is found in 1880 living in Red Willow Co., Nebraska, but there is no sign of Allie. The "Croquet at the Kirkendalls" photo appears to include Alice as an adult, about 1890 - 1891, at her half-brother James W. Kirkendall's house, on Deeds Road. There is also one more gentleman in that photo than can be accounted for with James Kirkendall and his five sons. The fate of Alice Kirkendall/Pagett is unknown.