My third great grandfather George A Slate changed his name in 1828 and moved from Northampton MA to Baltimore MD

.http://trees.ancestry.com/tree/34034356/person/19109848317

He changed his name from Patrick to George, the name change was posted in the paper (link below )

file:///C:/Users/Cold%20Point%20Beer%202/Downloads/Patrick%20Slate%20name%20change%20to%20George%20Slate.pdf

I am curious why he would change his name. He kept in contact with his family as they listed his marriage and death in the local newspaper, even though he lived the remainder of his life in MD.

Why would someone in 1828 change their name and why go to the trouble of posting in the paper? It seems a lot of folks were doing it based on the number of name changes on Friday, April 18, 1828.