Latta Family Papers

Blueprints, floor plans, and drawings related to the Latta Family's home "Grey Arches." Site plans show the location of the home, orchard, gardens, and stable. 

William James Latta was born on November 21, 1852, in Chester County, Pennsylvania. His father, William Sutton Latta (1822-1872), was the first surgeon of the Pennsylvania Railroad. William J. began working at the Pennsylvania Railroad Co. as a telegraph operator at the age of eighteen. He rose through the ranks to become agent of the railroad, a position he held until his retirement in 1899. William was also an avid collector of Napoleoniana.

William J. Latta married Kitty Nigh (Catherine Nigh) Bingham (1852-1929; daughter of Thomas Bingham) on October 23, 1884. They had five children: Margaret Douglas (later Mrs. W. Griffith Gribbel), William James, Jr. (1888-1958), Katherine, Mary (later Mrs. Dozier Finley), and Rachel Whitehill (later Mrs.  Harry A. Franck). The family lived at 430 West Moreland Ave., in the Chestnut Hill area of Philadelphia, in a home known as "Grey Arches." For periods of time, William and Kitty Latta’s unmarried sisters, Elizabeth Bingham, Mary Virginia Bingham, and Margaret Douglas Wilson Latta, resided with the family. "Grey Arches" remained in the possession of the family until 1958 when it was torn down. The Lattas also had a summer home in Rockport, Maine, called "White Cedars."