When Jim Hersey Jr. left the family farm in Andover to set off for college, he may not have given much thought to returning to his Andover roots someday.

Folks who travel Route 11 see Jerry and his brother Jim daily. They are tending the Herefords, haying, splitting wood, or repairing the fence line, year after year, in all weather conditions.

The farm sits on an open ridge and is a slice of history – just this side of Heaven. Old style New Hampshire, a living tribute to the rural ways of yesterday.

One autumn day in 2014, after recently relocating to the West Franklin area, I stopped by the farm to inquire about the location of the rail trails. I also asked if the farm sold fresh vegetables.

“We don’t sell vegetables,” replied Jim,” but you are welcome to some.  And I will show you the rail trails next week, if I have time.”

Jim and I had no idea that we both came from New Hampshire farm families. I am the great-niece of Raymond Ried of Ried’s Poultry Farm in Bedford. My middle name is Ried.

I am the last of the farmers in my family and continue to teach the old New Hampshire ways. These are skills that my Uncle Ray and Grandmother Hazel instilled in me since birth, skills on how to live off the land, light the oil lamp, and cook on the kitchen wood stove. This family legacy can be found in the Andover Business Directory: Down Home Organics.

Jim and I courted and re-kindled our dreams of returning to the land, with dreams of living sustainably and teaching others to live close to the good earth. Jim and I were married on Valentine’s Day 2016.

We both enjoy working the land with Jerry. He has been steadfast in his efforts to preserve the Hersey Family Farm, through the Ausbon Sargent Land Preservation Trust and through, well, just being Jerry.

I have taken charge of the original Hersey kitchen garden. Last fall, the grassy plot between the house and garage was turned over once again. It commemorates and marks the area where their mother lovingly tended her garden for many years. There will be a stone plaque in her memory, next to her patch of tiger lilies.

“The Boys,” as I refer to my husband and brother-in law, are in charge of the cattle and the farm at large, while I will teach sustainable workshops, garden, and raise the smaller animals: the laying hens, rabbits, and geese.

In 2007, Jerry withheld a two-acre lot on Sam Hill Road from the conservation easement for a future member of the family. The remainder of the Hersey Family Farm acreage is protected by this easement, ensuring the farm can never be subdivided. Jim has been working on the farm since 1987. The lot will allow Jim and me to live close by on the farm and continue to work with Jerry.

There is an inherent respect for the land among the Hersey family, for keeping the farm in the family,  and passing these lost arts on to the next generation. The wood lot that Jim and I will be building our home on will be in character with a Walton’s way of life. Step into our world, and return to 1935! Most importantly, this legacy of New Hampshire history will remain in the Hersey family.

We love the community spirit of Andover. “It’s a Norman Rockwell, Robert Frost kind of town,” were my first words. The Andover Community Coffeehouse is amazing! Everyone works together toward their desire to keep the flavor of the town of Andover … down-home Americana at its best.