About the Newsletter
Robert Henry Latta, Founder of the Branch System
Robert Henry Latta (1852–1940), a Denver attorney, spent decades corresponding with Latta families across the country and identified 49 distinct family branches before his death — the numbering system this project still uses today. His notebooks, correspondence, and newspaper clippings are preserved in the Library of Congress Rare Book Collection, and remain the foundation on which every branch page in this archive is built.
Origins of the Newsletter
In the 1970s, John W. Latta Jr. and Danny Ray Latta began the work of collecting and sharing family history among those bearing the Latta name, publishing The Latta Family Newsletter. When John Latta passed away, the publication ceased — but the interest and accumulated research did not.
Revival
In the 1990s, George P. Latta of Boiling Springs, South Carolina obtained copies of all of Robert H. Latta’s genealogical papers from the Library of Congress. Working with reader contributions, George updated and expanded this foundation. Paul Calhoun became editor of the revived Latta Genealogy Newsletter, and the project gained new momentum.
The Newsletter Today
In the 2000s, Ken Mueller and Virginia Curulla assumed editorial and research responsibilities, continuing the work begun decades earlier. The newsletter has been published three times a year — in February, June, and October — since 1996. It welcomes articles of genealogical interest, research findings, and queries related to the Latta surname and its variants.
Current Leadership
- Ken Mueller — Editor
- Randy Phillips — Secretary/Treasurer
- Geoffrey Latta — Secretary Historian
- Sue Lattea Cox — Coordinator of Branch Captains
- Westlee Latta — Webmaster
- Kathy Latta — DNA Project Coordination
Donations and membership support may be mailed to Randy Phillips, 41 S. Morrell Ave., Geneva, New York 14456, or contributed via the subscription page.
How to Contribute
The newsletter’s strength comes from its contributors. If you have family history, corrections, photographs, or documents to share, please send them to your Branch Captain or directly to the editor. See the subscription page for contact information and suggested contribution amounts.