Jasper County Democrat, Volume 20, Number 80, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 January 1918 — CHOSE OWN NAMES [ARTICLE]

CHOSE OWN NAMES

Long List of Prominent Men Who Changed Cognomens. Contrary to General Belief, It Is Not Necessary to Apply to Any Court or Other Tribunal to Obtain Permission. Many wartime applications are being made to the courts to change the names of persons. Most of those people probably do not know that any inan, woman or child can legally change his or her name without going to any court or other tribunal to obtain permission to do so. In Smith vs. United States Casualty Company, 197 N. Y„ 420, the highest court of New York state, following the decisions in many other states, effectually settled that every person had the right, without let or hindrance, to change his name according to his desire. Judge Vann w’rote the unanimous opinion of the court of appeals. In the course of his: opinion Judge Vann said: A predecessor of Honore de Balzac was born a Guez, which means beggar, and grew to manhood under that surname. When the great author became conscious of his powers as a writer he did not wish his works to be published Under that humble name, so he selected the surname Balzac from an estate that he had owmed. Voltaire, Moliere, Dante, Petrarch, Richelieu, Loyola, Erasmus and Liniicaus were assumed names. Napoleon Bonaparte changed his name after his amazing victories had lured him toward a crown and he wanted a grander name to aid his daring aspirations. The Duke of Wellington was riot by blood a Wellesley, but a Colley, his grandfather, Richard Colley, having assumed the name of a relative named Wesley, which was afterward expanded to Wellesley. Mr. Walsh, in his “Handbook of Literary Curiosities,” makes an interesting statement . . . : “Herbert Lythe became famous as Maurice Barrymore, Bridget O’Toole charms an audience as Rosa d’Erina, John H. Broadribb becomes Henry Irving, Samuel L. Clemens and Charles R. Browne attract attention under the eccentric masks of Mark Twain and Artemus Ward. John Rowlands would never have become a great explorer unless he had first changed his name to Henry M. Stanley. James B. Matthews and James B. Taylor might have remained lost among the mass of magazine contributors but for their cunning in dropping James and standing forth as Brander Matthews and Bayard Taylor. Would Jacob W. ReitJ, have succeeded as well as Whitelaw Reid? While some of these names were merely professional pseudonyms, others were adopted as the real name and in time became the only name of the person who assumed it.” In Larke’s “General Grant and His Campaigns” it is stated ... that “General Grant’s baptismal name was Hiram Ulysses, and he bore that appellation until he was appointed a cadet at West Point. General Hamer, who nominated him for a cadetship, by some means got his name mixed up with that of his brother. He was therefore appointed as ‘Ulysses Sidney Grant,’ and that name once so recorded on the books of the military academy could not be changed. He was baptized into the military school as U. S. Grant, and he has ever since been thus designated.” Another instance ... is that of President Cleveland, who had the baptismal name of Stephen G. Cleveland. After he entered his teens he omitted the word “Stephen” and assumed the name of Grover Cleveland, by which he was known throughout his distinguished career. President Woodrow WilSbn dropped his first name. Notwithstanding that the change of name made by a person 1 'mself, if he becomes known and recognized by his new name, is just as strong and effective in law as if officially authorized by all the courts in the land, it is wise, although not necessary, to’ resort to the courts in these cases, because in that way evidence of the change is established in permanent form. —Henry Wollman, in New York Times.