{"id":3675,"date":"2026-07-04T18:09:42","date_gmt":"2026-07-04T18:09:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=3675"},"modified":"2026-07-04T18:09:42","modified_gmt":"2026-07-04T18:09:42","slug":"exclusive-descendants-of-first-immigrant-to-pass-through-ellis-island-celebrate-american-dream","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=3675","title":{"rendered":"Exclusive | Descendants of first immigrant to pass through Ellis Island celebrate American Dream"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

As the country celebrates its 250th birthday, relatives of the first immigrant to pass through Ellis Island reflected on the American Dream.<\/p>\n

Read more Lee Greenwood recalls surviving enemy fire after being sent to entertain troops in Panama<\/a><\/p>\n

Annie Moore, a teenager from County Cork, Ireland, made the harrowing 12-day journey, arriving in the new world on Jan. 1, 1892. A bronze statue of the plucky teen and lifelong New Yorker who came to symbolize the promise of the country still stands at the downtown museum today.<\/p>\n

As the first of 12 million immigrants who would pour through Ellis Island until its closure in 1954, Moore lived a \u201cdesperately poor\u201d life moving from one tenement to another. Life with German-American baker husband Augustus \u201cGus\u201d Schayer was bittersweet, with half of her 10 children dying before their third birthday.<\/p>\n

But Moore\u2019s story of grit and fortitude has made descendents, including great-nephew, Michael Shulman, \u201cextremely proud\u201d to be part of this historic family tree.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have lived the American Dream,\u201d said Shulman, 69, whose grandfather, Philip, was the youngest brother of Annie who accompanied her on the US-bound voyage.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd not just economically \u2014 I have had the freedom to pursue any career I wanted,\u201d said the Long Island native who now lives in Madison, Wisc.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThis family history is really important \u2013 I don\u2019t think people understand how important it is,\u201d said the retired financial advisor, who\u2019s \u201ca great believer in American exceptionalism.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re a country of immigrants,\u201d Shulman said.<\/p>\n

The American dream is alive and well in Moore\u2019s family tree.<\/p>\n

While she lived a hardscrabble life, and died in 1924 of heart failure at 50, she generated a mosaic of descendents as American as apple pie.<\/p>\n

\u201cEach generation has gotten better educated,\u201d said the late great-granddaughter, Maureen Peterson, back in 2013, noting family members who were part Chinese, Dominican, German, Jewish, French. \u201cWe\u2019ve become a real American family.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Top dog! Joey Chestnut wins 4th of July Nathan\u2019s Hot Dog Eating Contest<\/a><\/p>\n

Moore\u2019s life had a great impact on other descendants.\u00a0Her great-great granddaughter Adrienne Kraus, who\u2019s studying for a master\u2019s degree in clinical mental health, believed her own family epitomized that fighting spirit.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThat to me is the American Dream \u2013 it\u2019s education. I hope every generation of our family line will keep stepping up and growing.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have a lot of empathy for people who want to get a better way of life for their families. It\u2019s a huge privilege to be born in this country,\u201d said Kraus.<\/p>\n

The Newtown, Conn. mom of three, 50, said she\u2019s \u201cproud\u201d to be a descendant of such an \u201cincredibly strong woman.\u201d\u00a0 Her kids have all proudly shared their unique family legacy with their teachers \u2014 some of whom are incredulous over the family history.\u00a0 The youngest, 13, named Anna, \u201ccame out tough and strong-willed, like her namesake,\u201d according to mom.<\/p>\n

The descendant marveled at her ancestor\u2019s fortitude in bettering her life. \u201cI know what being part of this country meant to her \u2013 and all of us,\u201d said Kraus, noting her own mom is Dominican. \u201cI can\u2019t imagine what life would be like if she hadn\u2019t been able to come here and start a new life.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

It\u2019s that determination that epitomizes the American spirit.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe point of America is that it\u2019s supposed to be home for everybody,\u201d said Kraus, channeling Emma Lazarus\u2019s famous poem about the big tent that is America. \u201cThat was Annie \u2013 she thought she was in the promised land.\u201d<\/p>\n

Speculating on what his ancestor would say now, Shulman believed that on the eve of America\u2019s birthday, Moore would \u201cborrow some money\u201d to see Hamilton \u201cand stand up and applaud when a cast member says if you want a job done, give it to an immigrant.\u201d<\/p>\n

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As the country celebrates its 250th birthday, descendants of the first immigrant to pass through Ellis Island, Annie Moore, a teenager from County Cork, Ireland, meditated on the American Dream.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3674,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3675","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-metro"],"yoast_head":"\nExclusive | Descendants of first immigrant to pass through Ellis Island celebrate American Dream - Metro Transit Review<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=3675\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Exclusive | Descendants of first immigrant to pass through Ellis Island celebrate American Dream - 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