James Martine Kershaw

Zoe Booth Rutledge - Our Jefferson County Heritage

James Martine Kershaw, Jr. was a physician whose hobbies were stockraising and horticulture. Sometime before the year 1900 Dr. Kershaw bought the Buren place, a pleasant site that lies just north of Hematite. The very rustic driveway was winding and steep, but once the top was gained it afforded a wonderful view and was open to a breeze from any direction. The house itself was surrounded by flagstones, and there were stepping stones that led to the springhouse where cool water was piped to a large watering trough. It was an historic spot. The Kershaw's hay shed marked the former location of an early Methodist church, and on a knoll about 300 or 400 feet from the Buren's house is an old family burying ground. Here lies Pascal Buren, born in 1801, his wife beside him amidst a tangle of vines. Also buried here is their daughter, Lucy Buren, who was the wife of Horace Austen Honey, and another daughter, Margaret Mahala Buren, whom he married after Lucy died. Horace Austen was the son of Captain John W. Honey and his wife Mary Seabor Austen. The inscription on his tombstone reads: "He died while the world was still beautiful in his eyes." There are some small stones outside the stone wall, presumable to mark the burial place of slaves. Heavy rains through the years have washed out the side of the hill, revealing a few pitiful bones and a skull. The place has a haunted atmosphere and Dr. Kershaw's daughter, Madeline, driving up the shadowy hill at night used to fancy the the Reverend Pascal Buren stalked there.