The discovery of a grainy black and white photograph in the archives of New York's famous Ellis Island immigration centre has prompted a new transatlantic mystery over whether it is Irish teenager Annie Moore and her brothers fresh off the boat from Cobh in 1892.

Seventeen-year-old Moore was famously the first person – Irish or otherwise –to be registered at the landmark centre when she arrived there on 1 January 1892 to start a new life in the USA.

Such is the significance of her arrival with her two brothers on the steamship Nevada that a statue commemorating the family is to be found at their point of departure in Cobh, Co Cork, and another located at Ellis Island.

Renowned US based genealogist Megan Smolenyak, who is an expert on Moore, told the Sunday Tribune the photo first came to her attention when it was passed to her at the conclusion of a memorial service for Moore in October 2008. Moore's great nephew Michael Shulman had earlier discovered it in the Ellis Island library.

It was among others donated by descendants of John B Weber, the first Superintendent of Ellis Island. Significantly, Weber only served at Ellis Island until April 1893.

Smolenyak believes there are a number of strong visual and other clues which support the assertion that it is Moore and her two brothers, and notes that the girl in the photo bears a marked resemblance to the confirmed photos of Annie in later years.

But she says she remains open to the possibility that, as some others have claimed, it is simply a random group of immigrants pictured at the Barge Office.

Now she has appealed for anyone to contact her who may be able to help provide definitive evidence that it is in fact Moore and her brothers.

"In America, Ellis Island is synonymous with immigration, "she said. "As the first to arrive there, Annie symbolises immigration, and by proxy, the fabled American dream – the notion that anything is possible if you apply yourself. And as an Irish girl, she represents the Irish diaspora which is so intertwined with the story of Ireland itself.

"On the surface, she may seem to be a random teenager who accidentally stepped into history, but when she did, she became an important symbol for two nations. If this photo is Annie, it's iconic and belongs to both the American and Irish people."

This is not the first time that Smolenyak has been directly involved in establishing the truth about Moore's background.

Until a few years ago, she was believed to have left New York shortly after she arrived in 1892, eventually marrying a descendant of Daniel O'Connell.

However, Smolenyak and New York City Commissioner for Records Brian Andersson revealed at a press conference in September 2006 that there were in fact two Annie Moores – and that the real Annie Moore from Ireland married a German-American who worked in the fish markets and lived on Manhattan's Lower East side. Three generations of Moore's descendents subsequently gathered at their ancestor's graveside to unveil a memorial cross in October 2008.

www.honoringourancestors.com