Son of Joseph Whitlatch & Barbara Hostetler. Husband of Jane Owens.

JOSEPH WHITLATCH, farmer and stock-grower, was born in Whiteley Township, this county, November 22, 1821, and is a son of Joseph and Barbara (Hostetler) Whitlatch. His mother was born in Fayette County, and his father in Greene, and they were of English and Dutch extraction. His father was a farmer and distiller by occupation. His grandfather, Thomas Whitlatch, who was an energetic and industrious farmer through life, was born in England and emigrated to America, coming to Greene County among the earliest settlers. The subject of this sketch, who is the sixth in a family of ten children, resided in Whiteley Township until he was twenty-four years of age. He has followed his father's occupation and has been very successful, being now the owner of 220 acres of well-improved land. Mr. Whitlatch was united in marriage, December 11, 1845, with Miss Jane, daughter of Thomas Owen, who came from Wales. They are the parents of thirteen children—Elizabeth, wife of George Plantz; Benson, who died July 5, 1888, aged thirty-eight years; Barbara J., wife of George Murphy; Sarah Ann, wife of John Springer; Susan Caroline, wife of William Patterson; Mary Ellen, wife of John Nicholas; John W., Peter O., Belle, wife of James Brewer; Viola, William, Isaac N., and David (deceased), who was their oldest child, died April 12, 1880, aged thirty-three years. Mr. Whitlatch is a member of the Baptist Church, in which he has been a deacon for twenty-three years, and also superintendent of the Sabbath-school. The other members of the family are members of the Church of God. Mr. Whitlatch is a Republican, and has been school director in his township. He went into the army as a private in 1864, and served until the close of the war." (Samuel P. Bates, History of Greene County, Pennsylvania, Chicago: Nelson, Rishforth and Company, 1888, p. 859.)