GABRIEL DUVALL
Not that Gabriel Duvall
Gabriel Duvall Sr. lived a short life. But he didn't do too bad for himself.
Born in Maryland in 1787, Barack Obama's great-great-great-great-great grandfather moved with his family to Kentucky as a child and became a prosperous farmer and cooper before he died in 1827.
But his accomplishments pale next to those of his second cousin, who shared his name. Before he died in 1844 at the age of 91, the other Gabriel Duvall spent more than six decades in public life, including serving in Congress. He was a close friend of Thomas Jefferson, and President James Madison tapped him to served on the U.S. Supreme Court in 1811.
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He was also a major slaveowner, owning as many as 37 at one point. His Maryland estate, Marietta, was believed to be built by slave labor.
His second cousin -- Obama's direct descendant -- most likely also owned slaves, since his widow, Mary Grable Duvall, reported owning three in the 1850 Census.
That Gabriel Duvall must not have minded being confused with his illustrious relative. He named one of his own sons Gabriel Duvall. Gabriel Duvall Jr. became a successful farmer in his own right and "served as magistrate and member of the court of claims of Nelson County," Ky., according to Kentucky: A History of the State by W.H. Perrin, J.H. Battle and G. C. Kniffin, 4th ed., 1887.