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Massachusetts

Salt air, cranberry bogs and a story only you can tell

Massachusetts holds a lot of history, and some of the best of it is the history you lived yourself. The way you remember your town, your harbor and your people is worth keeping in your own words.

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Try it free for 7 days. Only you can see your record. Never public or searchable.

What did a good summer day smell like where you grew up in Massachusetts?

Your firm views on the weather, the traffic and the best bowl of chowder are part of you, and they will not be exactly the same in ten years, which is the case for starting now. ToldForward saves each answer to its daily question with the date, so the people you choose can see how your thinking moves over time.

Only you can see your answers while you live.

Built with care

  • Your words, unchanged

    What you write is stored as you wrote it, with the date, and never rewritten.

  • A gentle pause

    Your record waits at least 6 months before anyone you named receives it.

  • Nothing to perform

    No camera, no microphone. Type, or speak with your own device's dictation.

  • Yours to change

    Edit an answer, remove one, or change who receives your record at any time.

From first answer to the people you love

It takes a few minutes a day, at any age.

  1. Begin with one answer

    You do not need a plan. Start with today's question and see where it leads.

  2. Watch it become a record

    Over months and years, your answers become a picture of how you think.

  3. Leave it in good hands

    With Archive Membership, the people you name can also ask a guide about your words.

Massachusetts

Your Massachusetts, in your own words

A place where a lot of stories began

The Pilgrims first saw Cape Cod in November 1620, and after about a month of searching they chose to settle at Plymouth. Children here still learn that story early. Most of what matters to your family and friends, though, happened much later and much closer to home. Maybe it was the walk to school, the corner store where everyone knew your name, or the first job that taught you how to work. Those everyday details rarely make it into history books, yet they are exactly what the people after you will want to hear.

Bogs, boats and summers on the Cape

Cranberries have been grown commercially in Massachusetts since 1816, and growers still farm bogs across the southeastern part of the state. Perhaps your summers meant a crowded drive down to the Cape, or your autumns meant long days in the bogs or on the docks. What did a good day smell like? Who taught you to dig for clams or tie a proper knot? Small answers like these carry a whole way of life, and you are the one who can give them.

Your opinions are part of the story

Maybe you have firm views on the weather, the traffic or the best place in the state for a bowl of chowder. Maybe your opinions run deeper, about fairness, faith or what makes a good neighbor. Either way, your views today are part of who you are, and they will not be exactly the same in ten years. Writing them down now gives the people you love a true picture of how you thought at this moment, in words that sound just like you.

Something to come back to

Not a recording. Your own words, ready to read

Your record is text you wrote yourself. The people you choose can read all of it, and with Archive Membership ask a guide to find the parts they are looking for.

  • Find a moment

    Ask about a place, a year or a person, and see what you said.

  • See how you changed

    Dated answers show how your views grew over time.

  • Always honest

    The guide labels every answer and never guesses.

Massachusetts

If you live in Massachusetts

How we look after your information
  • Your record is private while you live: nothing in it is public or searchable.
  • You choose the people who will one day receive it, and you can change them at any time.
  • If you wish, a copy can one day go to a library or archive through the Historical Deposit.

Start with one Massachusetts morning

ToldForward asks one friendly question a day, and you answer in your own words, typed or spoken through your device's dictation. Your record stays private while you live, and one day it goes to the people you choose.

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Keeping your story in Boston · Every state

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