The very first person to walk through the doors of Ellis Island was Annie Moore, a 15-year-old girl from Ireland. On January 1, 1892, Annie Moore, a teenage girl from County Cork, Ireland, made headlines as the first immigrant to be processed at Ellis Island. 

 

On September 15, 2006 noted genealogists revealed the true identity and story of Annie and her descendants. At that time it was also discovered that Annie Moore's remains lie in an unmarked grave in Calvary Cemetery, Queens, New York, along with five of her children. Led by descendant family members and supporters, the Annie Moore Memorial Project, established through the Irish Cultural and Learning Foundation of Phoenix, Arizona, was created to raise funds for a monument for her unmarked gravesite. 

 

Researchers discovered that Annie was buried in an unmarked grave in Calvary Cemetery, only a few miles away from Ellis Island. The Annie Moore Memorial Project raised money to place an appropriate gravestone on this site, to honor Annie Moore and her rightful place in American and Irish history. Her image will forever represent the millions who passed through Ellis Island in pursuit of the American dream, and is a symbol for immigrants of all nations that have contributed to the rich fabric of the United States.