Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak (with some help) has found the true story of the first immigrant through Ellis Island. The results were featured in the New York Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/14/nyregion/14annie.html

Of course, New York had millions of immigrants through Castle Garden before Ellis Island....the story of the research into Annie Moore is interesting, but basically boils down to two things:

• don't assume previous research and conclusions are true
• research the siblings