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Rewriting History

By Andrea Delbanco

Annie Moore made headlines in 1892. She was the first immigrant to arrive and register at Ellis Island. The immigration checkpoint, located near the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor, became a symbol of hope for those who came to the United States in search of a better life. More than 12 million immigrants passed through Ellis Island between 1892 and 1954.

At the time of her arrival, Moore was a teenager. She traveled from Ireland with her younger brothers to join their parents in America. Her arrival was written about in newspapers. Her image was carved in statues. It was later reported that she settled out West.

Now, more than 100 years after the Irish girl first set foot in the U.S., a closer look has revealed that history books had it wrong. Evidence suggests that Moore settled in New York City, not Texas. How was this historical error uncovered?

Cracking the Case
Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak is an expert in genealogy, the study of family histories. While researching a film about immigrants in 2002, she unearthed documents about the Annie Moore who had settled in Texas. "I found something that said her birthplace was Illinois," she says. "I was astonished! That was when I realized that something was wrong."

The Annie Moore who headed out West was not the girl who landed on Ellis Island. Texas descendants had heard the tale so many times that they believed it to be true. "We all have these exaggerated family stories. We tend to believe what Grandma tells us," Smolenyak Smolenyak says. "This family story managed to slip into history."

Once she realized the error, Smolenyak Smolenyak went in search of the other Moore. On her website, she offered a $1,000 prize to anyone who helped solve the mystery. Clues brought her to descendants of the first Annie Moore, some of whom still live in New York. To them, the news was a happy surprise. "They had no clue when I called them," she says. Last month, a dozen of Moore's descendants gathered to celebrate her rightful place in history.

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