Mareen Duvall

Mareen Duvall (1625–1694) was a French Huguenot and an early American settler.

Background Mareen Duvall was born in 1625, in Nantes, France, and was originally named Marin Duval. On August 28, 1650, Duvall emigrated as an indentured servant (contracted to work for seven years) to the English colony of Maryland.

Eventually, he acquired a patent for La Val from the Calvert family who were the first proprietors of colonial Maryland. It was possible that he named the family estate after the county of Laval, an independent county created in the 15th century. This property was on the south side the South River in Anne Arundel County, Maryland.

He died in 1694 and left his substantial estate (which included at least 18 slaves ) to Mary Stanton, his third and final wife, who administered the estate. Duvall had purchased sizeable tracts of land, including Catton which was later known as Belair, as well as the Middle Plantation in Davidsonville, Maryland. Combined, he owned several thousand acres in the counties of Anne Arundel and Prince George’s. His notable descendants include Harry S. Truman, Barack Obama, Dick Cheney, Wallis Simpson, and Robert Duvall. and spy Betty Duvall.