George C. Latta and George C. Latta, Jr. Papers

George Clinton Latta was born in 1795 at Canandaigua, New York, the son of James and Sarah Jackson Latta. The next year, he moved with his family to the new port of Charlotte, at the mouth of the Genesee River, where his father built a warehouse and became collector of the port in 1806. The family moved to Lewiston in 1809, but George returned to Charlotte in 1811, living with his elder brother Samuel. He apprenticed with the dry goods business of Frederick Bushnell and James Guernsey at Charlotte from 1811 to 1821, then becoming a partner in the business. They operated a fleet of schooners engaging in trade with Canada, especially forwarding frontier products such as shingles, barrel staves, potash, whiskey and wheat to Montreal. He also served as a broker and wholesaler for local goods. By 1831, Bushnell and Guernsey had left the business, leaving Latta as sole proprietor, though he soon formed new associations with Henry Benton of Rochester and with Bushnell (again). Ultimately, Latta would run not only wholesale and brokerage businesses, but also a major retail establishment at Charlotte in 1860s and 1870s. He also entered agriculture, owning several farms between 1821 and 1868, including converting some of his land to a nursery in the 1850s. Real estate investments in his name included property not only in Charlotte, Greece and Rochester, but also in Cass County, Michigan and Cuyahoga County, Ohio. On a local level, he also invested in the construction of the Rochester-Charlotte Plank Road (1849) and Rochester-Charlotte Railroad (1852-53).

George C. Latta married Frances Mann in 1839. With her, he had 10 children by 1859. He supported not only them, but also numerous members of his extended family and the Charlotte community. It wwas through his support that both a brick school and a Presbyterian church were erected in Charlotte. At his death on November 26, 1871, he was the pillar of the Charlotte community.

George Clinton Latta, Jr. was born in 1840. Contrary to his father, George, Jr., was a not a notable success in business. Indeed, his poor financial status led to his father assigning to George, Jr.'s share of his estate to his wife, Gertrude, and their children, Mary G. and George B. Beyond his involvement in his father's business, it is known that he was a member of the Genesee Falls Lodge of the Free and Accepted Masons. He died on November 11, 1875, and was buried according to the Masonic rite in Charlotte Cemetery.