The Journey of Annie Moore.
"By Faith Abraham obeys... even though he did not know where is was going...." Hebrews 11:8
The Suitcase
She picked up her suitcase and headed for the door. She hesitated. She knew this was what she had to do, and yet she was leaving everything she had ever known behind.
One Suitcase.
That's all she had. How do you pack a lifetime into one suitcase?
Packing her clothes was easy. There weren't that many anyway. But how do you pack your grandmother's hug, the laughter of neighborhood children, the hills you've wandered since you were little, the smell of your mother's kitchen, the memories that made you who you are? You can't.
She looked back one last time, trying to memorize it all. She took a deep breath. She wanted to remember the smell of home. She reached out and slowly placed her hand on the wooden door, hoping she would never forget how it felt.
Then she turned... Picked up her suitcase... and walked away.
It was a cold December morning in 1891 when fifteen-year-old Annie Moore left her home in County Cork, Ireland, with her two younger brothers, Anthony and Philip.
She walked away from everything familiar. The rolling green hills. Her neighbors and the sounds of home.
Ahead of her stretched more than 3,000 miles of ocean and a future she couldn't begin to imagine. She had no guarantee she would ever return.
A Family's Impossible Decision
Three years earlier, Annie's parents, Thomas and Julia Moore, had faced a heartbreaking decision.
Life in Ireland had become difficult. In fact impossible. Jobs were scarce, opportunities were few, and like thousands of Irish families, they dreamed of a better future for their children.
They only solution they could find was also the hardest. Either they stayed and died or left.
Thomas and Julia would leave first. They would travel to America, find work, build a home, and save enough money to send for their children.
Imagine saying goodbye to your children, not knowing when you would see them again. That goodbye became 4 years. Four Birthdays. Four Christmases. Four years of wondering. Finally, in 1891, the letter arrived. Everything was ready. It was time.
The voyage aboard the steamship Nevada would last nearly 2 weeks. Annie traveled in steerage, the least expensive section of the ship. It wasn't glamorous. Families crowded into rows of narrow bunks. The air was stale. Privacy didn't exist. The ship rocked endlessly across the winter Atlantic. Many passengers became seasick. Yet through it all, Annie wasn't just responsible for herself anymore.
She was responsible for two little boys who looked to their fifteen-year-old sister for courage. So when the seas were rough, she swallowed her own fear and smiled at her brother, pretending everything was going to be okay.
I often wonder what she thought during those long days at sea. Did she miss home already? Did she wonder if she would ever see Ireland again? Did she whisper quiet prayers while everyone else slept? We'll never know. But I think every one of us has experienced moments when we had to trust God before we could see where He was leading.
Then...
She saw it. Rising above the morning mist. Torch held high. Stood a lady carrying a flame.
The Statue of Liberty.
She had heard about her.. She had dreamed about this moment during twelve long days at sea. Liberty. Freedom. A new beginning. Home.
For Annie, this wasn't simply a famous monument. It was the first sing that the long journey was almost over. I wonder if tears filled her eyes. I wonder if she squeezed her brothers' hands. I wonder if she whispered, "We made it."
Immigrant Number 1
On January 1, 1892, the Nevada docked in New York Harbor.
Passengers stepped ashore and entered a brand-new immigration station that had opened that very day. No one had ever been processed there before.
Annie Moore became Immigrant Number One.
The very first immigrant officially welcomed through Ellis Island. Officials presented her with a $10 gold coin, an extraordinary gift for a fifteen-year-old girl beginning a new life. But before she could enter America, there was one more hurdle.
Doctors examined her to make sure she was healthy. Officials asked her questions. Her name was recorded. Every answer mattered. Only then did the doors open.
Welcome to the United States.
I often wonder if Annie realized she had just become part of history. My guess is... she wasn't thinking about history. She was thinking about finding her parents.
Today, more than 130 years later, you can walk through those same doors. Stand where Annie stood, where millions of others stood, where lives changed forever. When you step into the Great Hall, don't rush. Pause....
Look around. It's enormous. Listen to the echoes. Then close your eyes for just a moment. Imagine the room so full of people that it's difficult to move. Imagine dozens of languages filling the air at one time. Children crying. Parents praying. Officials calling names.
Imagine Annie standing there, holding tightly to her brothers so they wouldn't become separated. Every person in that room carried a different story. But they all shared one hope. That this place would become home; none of them could have imagined that one day people from around the world would visit Ellis Island just to hear their stories. In that moment, history wasn't something I was reading anymore. It was something I was standing inside.
The thing I love most about history has always been what it teaches me. Not just the historical stuff, which I love, but also about faith. God constantly teaches me with every trip and every book I read. And walking through Ellis Island was no different. I found myself thinking about the faith that these people had. The faith that Annie had to have that God would keep them safe, that God would work out all the details. That God had a plan. And yet she didn't know the plan; she just had to take the next step. God rarely reveals the whole plan; He just asks you to take the next step.
Your Visit To Ellis Island
If you're planning a trip to New York City, set aside an entire day for the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Don't just rush through it.
- Take the Ferry: Stand outside on the deck. Get off at Liberty Island. Take the tour. If you're feeling brave and energetic, climb to the top and look out over the harbor.
- Take the Ferry: Get off at Ellis Island. Get the tour.
- Walk through the Great Hall: Read the stories written on the walls that the immigrants wrote.
- Study the remarkable photographs: Look at the worn shoes, handwritten letters, children's toys, and especially the old suitcases.
- Visit the Hospital Complex: See where immigrants with contagious illnesses were quarantined until they were well enough - or cleared- to continue their journey. For me, I did the Hard Hat tour and went through even the parts that haven't been restored.
We don't know many details about Annie Moore's life after she entered America. History grows quieter after that day. What we do know is that she found her parents, and a new chapter of her life began.
For others, the road was much harder. Some flourished. Some struggled. But every one of them stepped into an unknown future with remarkable courage.
Every one of us eventually reaches a moment when God asks us to step into something new before we know how it will ever turn out. A new career. A new Calling. A new season of life.
Annie's suitcase represents so much more than physical things. It represents hope, courage, and faith. A willingness to trust God before the road ahead was visible. That's why Ellis Island is much more than a museum to me. It's a reminder of those who came before us. The struggles and victories that each overcame. And that sometimes those begin with a suitcase.
Want to experience Ellis Island for yourself? Be sure to watch my upcoming video, where I'll walk you through everything you need to know - from taking the ferry to exploring the Great Hall, the hospital complex, and the hidden details that make this one of America's most unforgettable historic sites.
