The folks at Ancestry.com have an interesting new take on President Obama's family tree.

The nation's first African-American president may be descended from America's first documented slave.

After years of research, Ancestry.com has determined that Obama is the 11th great-grandson of John Punch, the first documented slave in American history.

"Two of the most historically significant African Americans in the history of our country are amazingly directly related," said Ancestry.com genealogist Joseph Shumway.

Ancestry.com also points out that "remarkably, the connection was made through President Obama's Caucasian mother's side of the family."

John Punch, an indentured servant in Colonial Virginia, was punished for trying to escape in 1640 by being declared a slave for life -- the first documented case of slavery.

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