As it turns out, Billy was not the only creative spirit in Kristin's newfound family tree.

Moving back along his mother's line, we came to another, Kristin's third great-grandfather, a man named Peter Delbrel.

Peter passed away in Texas in 1859, just a few hundred miles from where Kristin was born.

But as we looked into Peter's life, we found ourselves in an unexpected place, the archives of Bordeaux, France.

"January 23rd, 1811, appeared Mr.

Francoise Delbrel, who presented an infant of the masculine sex, born the morning before at 6:00 to the declarant and to Anne Costa- Costa, uh-huh.

his wife, and to whom he gives the forename of Pierre."

You just read your third great grandfather's birth record from France.

Did you know you had French roots?

No, I didn't.

I assume you've been to France.

I sang at the Paris Opera.

I love France.

That's probably my best language, foreign language.

Well, it comes in naturally- Yeah, because it's in my DNA.

because it's in your DNA.

That's crazy.

According to this record, Peter's father was a barrel maker.

It was an ancient occupation and crucial to the economy of Bordeaux.

But it was also backbreaking work, and it seems that Peter wanted more for himself.

So rather than take up his father's trade, he boarded a ship.

So, Peter got to America.

Let's see how he got there.

Okay.

Please turn the page.

Wow, wow, wow.

This is so cool.

Oh gosh.

Now, there are no records because Ellis Island wouldn't open till 1891, but he arrived sometime in the 1830s.

And this is the kind of ship that he'd likely sailed on.

Oh my gosh.

It would've held around 200 people.

Oh, wow.

Almost all of them immigrants.

The trip would've taken about six weeks, and there would've been no running water and no sanitation facilities.

Are you sure we're related?

I wouldn't be able to handle it.

Man, I often think that, whoa.

I bet you could smell that ship.

Yeah, they knew it was coming.

Peter arrived in America sometime in the 1830s when he was in his twenties.

By 1838, he'd settled in Texas, which at the time, was an independent nation, not yet part of the United States.

Texas offered opportunities that Peter never could have found back in France.

But it was also an unstable and sometimes a violent place.

So what do you think it was like for your ancestor?

Listen, I think they were probably in a state of shock.

How do you say "damn" in French?

Yeah, right.

But think about this.

It's likely that he never saw Bordeaux or his parents ever again.

'Cause he came by himself.

'Cause that was a big decision to make- That's hard to immigrate.

What do you think that was like for him?

Lonely, and I wonder if he had any Frenchman that came with him and that he knew.

Well, we know he was single, so he didn't come with a wife.

Do you think the sacrifice was worth it?

Heck yeah, said like a true American girl.