History and lore
Known in English as John Peter, Jean Pierre dropped the “r” from the family name Merlet and was often recorded as John Peterson Melot, Mellat or Mallat. From him come the Mellott and Malott spellings.
Read the full article: Merle, Merlet, Marlatt, Malott: How Our Name Changed
All eleven Malott and Mellott men tested by the Marlatt-Merlet DNA Project descend from Jean Pierre through his son Theodorus, and they closely match one another. But their Y-DNA is very different from that of the Marlatt descendants of Jean Pierre’s brothers Josias and Abraham, a genetic distance of 24. That suggests a break somewhere in one of the lines: possibly between Gedeon and Jean Pierre, or between Jean Pierre and Theodorus.
Read the full report: The Marlatt-Merlet DNA Project: Summary Report
Jean Pierre was only 4 when he sailed with his parents and brothers aboard Der Permerlander Kerck, sailing from Amsterdam on 12 October 1662 and reaching New Amsterdam in February 1663. He grew up on Staten Island and later lived in Middlesex County, New Jersey. Through his son Theodoras, he is the ancestor of the Maryland and Ohio Malotts.
Read the full article: Across the Atlantic in 1662: The Merle Family Comes to New Netherland