They were the shouts heard ‘round the world--or at least around my neighborhood. The first shout rang out when I found out that Ancestry.com had posted a database of images of the New York Emigrant Savings Bank records online as part of its immigration collection. That shout was followed by a series of frenetic clicks as I began plugging in family names.

The next shout was as I called to tell my mother that this new database had taken our research halfway ‘round the world! (The doctors expect the ringing in her ears to stop soon.)

Lest you think I'm being overly dramatic, let me share with you what I found. Here is one of the records I found for my fourth great-grandfather James Kelly:

• Nov. 19, 1857
• Account #15751
• James Kelly
• Occupation: none, infirm
• Address: 34 John St.
• Remarks:
  Native of Glackmore, Coy. Donegal & arrived at Halifax 30 yrs ago
  Wife dead Bridget McLoghlin & ch. James, Mary, Jane & Elizth.

With the exception of the names of his children and the first name of his wife, this was all new information!

A Closer Look
So now you know what all the shouting was about. Let's go back and take a closer look at these records...

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