How to write
a legacy letter.

It is a letter about the things a will cannot hold: where the family comes from, what you have learned, what you are proud of and sorry for, and what you hope for the people you love. You can write one to your children, a partner, or grandchildren not yet born.

The idea is old. In Jewish tradition it is called an ethical will, and My Jewish Learning traces it to biblical times, when the patriarch Jacob, near death, blessed his children and told them where he wanted to be buried. In the 12th century, the Spanish Jewish physician and scholar Judah ibn Tibbon wrote one for his son Samuel that ran to more than 50 pages.

Modern ones, the same source says, are less about instruction and more about passing on wisdom and wishes, often as letters to children. Because they are not legal documents, they can take any shape: a letter, a list, a video or a collage of photos.

No. A will legally decides who inherits your money, property and possessions, so it has to meet formal rules. GOV.UK lists them: you must be 18 or over, make it voluntarily, be of sound mind, put it in writing, sign it in the presence of 2 witnesses who are both over 18, and have them sign it in your presence. Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own rules. Three documents often get mixed up:

Keep them separate. GOV.UK says you can write your own will but should get advice if it is not straightforward. A legacy letter needs no advice at all, only honesty.

There is no template, but these six questions are a good place to begin.

For the longer story, our guide to writing a life story takes it chapter by chapter.

One photo can be enough to start. The one below is from our founder’s own family album.

A letter nobody finds is a letter nobody reads. GOV.UK’s advice for wills works for letters too: tell your executor, a close friend or a relative where it is. If it is meant to be opened on a set date, such as an 18th birthday, borrow the International Time Capsule Society’s advice for time capsules:

Digital copies need a plan of their own. Apple’s Legacy Contact, on iOS 15.2, iPadOS 15.2 or macOS Monterey 12.1 or later, lets someone you choose request access to data such as your photos, messages, notes and files after you die, with an access key you give them and a death certificate. Access lasts three years from when Apple approves the first request, and then the account is permanently deleted.

Google’s Inactive Account Manager can share your data with up to 10 people, or send them an email you wrote, once your account has been inactive for a period you choose. Google also says it may delete a personal account that has been inactive across Google for at least two years. Our guide to what happens to your photos when you die goes into more detail.

If you can, yes. A letter keeps your words; a recording keeps how you said them. A phone is enough.

Keep the file in two places, not only on your phone. Our guide to saving family voices has more on recording the people you love.

An Ancestorii capsule is a natural home for a legacy letter. Give it a title, a short message for the front and the date it should open, then add the letter itself, photos, videos and voice notes, so they hear you say it as well as read it. Once you seal it, Ancestorii will not let you open or edit it until that date, and then it opens for your family automatically.

Two things to know. Everyone in your family space can see a sealed capsule’s card, with its title, short message and cover photo, so keep the private words inside. And no notification is sent when it opens, so tell the people it is for. Capsules are made on the website and are unlimited on every plan, including Free, and Story Assistance, Ancestorii’s optional writing help, can suggest a message for you to edit.

A legacy letter is not a will, and Ancestorii is not a legal or estate-planning service. See how digital time capsules work, what else to put in a time capsule, or read about planning your digital legacy.