Rezin Malott ^{2 3 4}

   Another name for Rezin was Reason Malott.^{1 5 6}

  General Notes:

There are many confusing facts concerning the three possible wives of Rezin (Reason) Malott: Margery Fast, Clarissa Fast, and Mary Ellen (Polly) Fast. He may have fathered children by all three but was only married to two. His first marriage to Margery Fast was in 1830 while his second "marriage" to Clarrisa was sometime around 1838. No marriage document has been found to prove a marriage to Clarissa but death certificates for their children support showing Rezin as the father and Clarrisa as the mother. See the notes under Clarissa Fast regarding her children which indicate that Rezin may have been merely the "adopting" father and not necessarily the biological father. By 1850 the census shows that Rezin was living with both Mary Ellen (Polly) Fast and Clarissa and her children. In 1853 there is a marriage record for Rezin Malott and Mary Ellen Fast.

Determining the exact date that his first wife Margery left him is difficult as there seems to be very few documents showing her whereabouts. Knowing the exact date is important because there were several children born during those years that she could have left him. And for those children born during those years, it becomes very difficult to determine who the mother would have been. There are some marriage and death records for some of the children which indicate the correct father and mother but even then it shows that Rezin was fathering children with at least two of the sisters at the same time. As mentioned, these records may be showing his name as the "father" that raised the children and not the biological father. Maybe we'll never know.

To the best of my reasoning, I believe the Margery left Rezin sometime after the birth of Rufus Malott in 1841. But in approximately the same year, Thomas Jefferson Malott was also born. I believe that the mother of Thomas was Mary Ellen Fast and that Margery left Rezin because of his infidelity with Mary Ellen and maybe with the third sister, Clarissa Fast, who had previously given birth to Duncan Fast in 1838. Margery may have forgiven him after his infidelity with Clarissa in 1838 but when Mary Ellen became pregnant with Thomas in about 1840, then Margery had enough. These continuing episodes of infidelity were probably the cause of Margery's father, John Adam Fast, specifically leaving Rezin Malott out of his will.

When Margery Fast left Rezin Malott, she took with her their youngest son, Rufus, and probably returned to live with her widowed mother. There is a 1850 US Census in Monongalia county, Virginia showing a Marjorum Malott and Rufus Malott living with an elderly Elizabeth Fast but the ages are off somewhat so I'm not sure if that is them or not.

Either before or after Margery's departure from Rezin, her sister Mary Ellen Fast took up residence with Rezin. She was probably the mother of Thomas Jefferson Mallot born in 1841, Margaret born in 1844, Emily born in 1848, Adeline born in 1850, and Minerva born in 1853. Finally in December of 1853, Rezin Malott and Mary Ellen Fastare officially married in Marion county, Virginia. After the marriage, she gave birth to four more children, Rezin, George, Isabella, and John for a grand total of nine children.

Mixed in all of those births for Margery and Mary Ellen, Rezin may have also fathered three children with Clarissa Fast: Harriet in 1847, Mary Ellen in 1844, and probably Duncan in 1838. Whether or not to accept the accuracy of the death records for these children which show Rezin Malott as the father is debatable. If he truly were the father of all of the children of Margery, Clarissa, and Mary Ellen Fast and they all lived together in the same household at one time or another seems to be quite a leap of the imagination. Although I have no evidence to prove it, I wonder if Clarissa had illegitimate children by one or more un-named fathers, and that Rezin's home was merely a sanctuary for the single mother. Rezin may have been more of a father figure than the biological father.

Adding all the births up, it appears that Rezin fathered at least 7 children (possibly 9) with Margery, maybe 3 with Clarissa, and as many as 9 children with Mary Ellen for a total of at least 19 children (possibly 21) between the three sisters. Even if Clarissa's children were not from Rezin, he still fathered at least 16 children between the other two sisters. That in itself is still quite a feat.
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  Death Notes:

Name: Reese Malett
Event Date: 28 Nov 1862
Event Place: Marion, West Virginia
Gender: Male
Age (Expanded): 52 years
Birth Date: 1810
Birthplace: Pennsylvania
Marital Status: Married
Mother's Name: Ruth Malett
Occupation: Farmer
Affiliate Repository Type: County Records
Reference ID: v 1 P 6

Citing this Record
"West Virginia Deaths, 1804-1999," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NMRL-ZFJ : 10 March 2018), Reese Malett, 28 Nov 1862; citing Marion, West Virginia, County Records, v 1 P 6, county courthouses, West Virginia; FHL microfilm 834,815.
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  Noted events in his life were:

• He appeared on the 1840 US Census in East Monongalia, VA on June 1840. ⁵

1840 US Census
Page 68, Roll 567
East Monongalia, Monongalia County, Virginia
Reason Malott..
Males 20-30: 1 total = Rezin, age 30

.

• He appeared on the 1850 US Census in East Bethlehem, PA on 1 August 1850. ⁸

1850 US Census
Page 129A, Family 291
East Bethlehem, Washington County, Pennsylvania
Reason Malot..40..Pennsylvania..Laborer

(Living with 3rd partner (Mary Ellen Fast, future wife), 2nd partner (Clarissa Fast who he never married), 8 children from 1st wife, and 3 children from Clarissa Fast.)
.

• He appeared on the 1860 US Census in Third District, Marion County, VA on 6 July 1860. ³

1860 US Census
Page 99, Family 697, Roll 1361
Third Magisterial District, Marion County, Virginia
Rezin Malot..50..Pennsylvania

(Living with 2nd wife and 7 children.)
.

• Death Image: 28 November 1862, in , Marion County, VA. ⁴

Rezin married Marjorie Fast, daughter of John Adam Fast and Elizabeth Rex, on 20 February 1830 in , Monongalia County, VA.¹ (Marjorie Fast was born in 1808 in , Monongalia County, VA and died after 1 June 1850 ^{9 10}.)

  Noted events in their marriage were:

• They appeared on the 1840 US Census in East Monongalia, VA on June 1840. ⁵

1840 US Census
Page 68, Roll 567
East Monongalia, Monongalia County, Virginia
Reason Malott..
Males under 5: 3 total = (Malden, age 4; 2 others possibly Milton, age 2; Rufus, age 0)
Males 20-30: 1 total = Rezin, age 30
Females under 5: 2 total (appears very faint) = (Clarissa, age 4; Elanor, age 4)
Females 5-10: 2 total (strangely written, appears to look like a number 9 but that would be excessive) = (Hulda, age 7; Matilda, age 6)
Females 20-30: 1 = (Margery Fast, age 32)

Missing from the list would be daughter Elizabeth Malott, born 1832.
.

  Marriage Notes:

Name: Reason Malott
Sex: Male
Spouse's Name: Margery Fast
Spouse's Sex: Female
Spouse's Father's Name: Adam Fast
Spouse's Father's Sex: Male
Marriage Date: 20 Feb 1830
Marriage Place: Monongalia, West Virginia, United States
Marriage Place (Original): West Virginia, United States

Citing this Record
West Virginia Marriages, 1780-1970, database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q2ZF-N6DC : 12 September 2020), Reason Malott and Margery Fast, 20 Feb 1830; citing Marriage, Monongalia, West Virginia, United States, county clerks, West Virginia; FHL microfilm .
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Rezin had a relationship with Mary Catherine "Clarissa" Fast, daughter of John Adam Fast and Elizabeth Rex, about 1838. (Mary Catherine "Clarissa" Fast was born in 1818 in , Monongalia County, VA ^{6 9 10 11} and died in 1867 ^{9 10}.)

Rezin next married Mary Ellen Fast, daughter of John Adam Fast and Elizabeth Rex, on 14 December 1853 in , Marion County, VA.² (Mary Ellen Fast was born in 1819 in , Monongalia County, VA ^{3 12} and died on 28 February 1883 in , Marion County, WV ¹³.)

  Noted events in their marriage were:

• They appeared on the 1850 US Census in East Bethlehem, PA on 1 August 1850. ⁸

1850 US Census
Page 129A, Family 291
East Bethlehem, Washington County, Pennsylvania
Reason Malot..40..Pennsylvania..Laborer
Mary Malot..32..Virginia
Huldah Malot..17..Virginia
Matilda Malot..15..Virginia
Elanor Malot..14..Virginia
Elen Malot..14..Virginia
Milton Malot..12..Virginia
Jefferson Malot..8..Pennsylvania
Margaret Malot..6..Pennsylvania
Emily Malot..2..Pennsylvania
Clarissa Fast..32..Virginia
Duncan Fast..12..Virginia
Mary E. Fast..7..Pennsylvania
Harriet Fast..4..Pennsylvania

NOTE - To the best of my reasoning, the mother parent in this household was "Mary Ellen Fast" whom Rezin would actually marry in 1853. All of the Malott children with the exception of the last 3, are believed to have been born to "Marjorie Fast", the first wife of Rezin. Apparently Rezin and Marjorie were either seperated or divorced by the time of this 1850 US Census with Marjorie living back with her mother in Virginia along with one son, Rufus Malott. The last 3 children listed were fathered by Rezin with a third sister, Clarissa Fast, who was living with Rezin and his wife, Marjorie , prior to 1850.
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• Marriage Image: 14 December 1853, in , Marion County, VA. ²

• They appeared on the 1860 US Census in Third District, Marion County, VA on 6 July 1860. ³

1860 US Census
Page 991, Family 697, Roll 136
Third Magisterial District, Marion County, Virginia
Rezin Malot..50..Pennsylvania
Mary E. Malot..41..Virginia
Malden Malot..24..Virginia
Thomas J. Malot..18..Pennsylvania
Margaret F. Malot..16..Pennsylvania
Emily Malot..12..Pennsylvania
Adeline Malot..9..Pennsylvania
Minerva Malot..7..Virginia
Rezin Malot..3..Virginia
.

  Marriage Notes:

To the best of my reasoning, Rezin Malott separated or divorced his first wife, Marjorie Fast, sometime before 1850 and then took up residence with her sister, Mary Ellen Fast. They appear together in the 1850 US Census in Pennsylvania. At the same time it appears that Rezin may have fathered three other child with a third sister, Clarrisa Fast, who was living with them at the time. In 1851, Adeline Malott was born, therefore Mary Ellen Fast would probably have been the mother. Meanwhile the first wife, Marjorie Fast, moved back to Virginia and appears in the 1850 US Census there with one son, Rufus Malott, and her elderly mother, Elizabeth Rex.
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Event Type: Marriage
Name: Rezin Mal?Ot?
Event Type: Marriage
Marriage Date: 1853
Marriage Place: Marion, West Virginia, United States
Spouse's Name: Mary Fast
Source Reference: County Records
Record Number: 767

Citing this Record
"West Virginia Marriages, 1780-1970," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F1MJ-2N5 : 11 February 2018), Rezin Mal?Ot? and Mary Fast, 1853; citing Marion, West Virginia, United States, , county clerks, West Virginia; FHL microfilm 835,626.
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By the time Rezin Malott and Mary Ellen Fast were actually married in December 1853, they had already three daughters, Susan Emily Malott, born 1848, Adeline Malott, born 1850, and Minerva Olive Malott, born in August 1853.
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There are several examples of impossible birth dates for some of the children based on the death date of the father, Rezin Malott, in 1862. These include Isabella Malott, born 1867 and John Malott, born abt 1870.

Isabella Malott was listed as living with the widow, Mary Malott, on the 1870 US Census as were other children to include Adaline, age 20, and Rezin E. Malott, age 13. But Isabella was listed as only 3 years old confirming her birth date of 1867.

Assuming the death register in Marion County, Virginia shows the correct person, Reese Malett, as having died in 1862, then just who was the father of Isabella Malott, born 1867.

Perhaps the problem is with the birth dates of this daughter.
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