Reason was born in 1816 in New York City, one of three sons of Michel Rison of St. Anne Island, Guadeloupe, and Elizabeth Melville of Saint-Domingue.
Reason was born in 1816 in New York City as one of four children. His father, Michel Rison, was a native to St. Anne Island, Guadeloupe and his mother, Elizabeth Melville, was native to Saint-Domingue.