Let them speak once more:
Nothing brings back the voice of a long-gone immigrant, whose DNA you may be sharing, like a letter written by that person's hand. It affords an instant, poignant look into the circumstances, time, and relationships of that life. The immigrant letters speak of longing for far-away loved ones, of hardships and want, of transforming a wilderness and of splendid successes.

The 19th-century immigrant experience shaped our nation. It also changed the lives of those who stayed behind in the Old World.

"Letter from America" [Brief aus Amerika]
Painting by Berthold Woltze, German, 1860
Deutsches Historisches Museum, Berlin (used with permission)
http://www.dhm.de/ENGLISH/

The "Ancestor Effect"

Regardless if our ancestors were emigrants or immigrants, or if they stayed put all their lives, thinking about them may have unexpected benefits for us, their descendants. Does thinking about our ancestors make us smarter? Could it help us land a better job? Farfetched as it may seem, a recent study conducted by Austrian and German scientists indicates just that. The scientists' findings are presented in the article "The Ancestor effect: Thinking about our genetic origin enhances intellectual performance." (European Journal of Social Psychology, 41: 11–16)

The article makes interesting reading for anyone but particularly for genealogists. As genealogists we already knew that getting to know our forbears is intriguing and enjoyable. Now we also know that it's good for our brains.

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ejsp.778/full