Our Nation's Stories
The Massachusetts Historical Society holds hundreds of thousands of documents in collections spanning our nation's history.
In these letters and diaries our predecessors chronicled their lives and shared their hopes, dreams, struggles and triumphs with one another.
There is every probability of a battle being fought within a few days, and nobody has any doubt about the result.Lt. Charles F. Morse, from the Charles F. Morse papers
Last night the Grenadiers & Light Companies ... had a Skirmish with some Country People at LexingtonJohn Rowe, from the John Rowe diaries
Important Perspectives
Family Community Beliefs Actions Decisions
The authors’ distinct voices and personalities describe events and address concerns that are still of interest today.
Become a Digital Volunteer for the MHS
"I really enjoy reading through the pages. It’s like she’s talking to you. It made me feel like I was connecting to her." Angela Tillapaugh, on the Sarah Gooll Putnam diaries
Help make the past last!
By volunteering to transcribe letters, diaries and other documents you can help to make these stories discoverable and more useful to students, teachers, and researchers.