Joseph Goar, son of James Gore and Sarah Farley, changed the spelling of his name from Gore to Goar based on a joke. This story is mentioned in one form or another in five different references as follows:

1. He (Joseph Goar) raised a family of fifteen children. While in Indiana he was a local politician of some note, and was commonly known as Judge Gore. He conceived the idea of changing the spelling of his name about this time to Goar and the rest of us have followed along the same way of spelling it (letter dated 14 October 1909 from Joseph Elmer Goar, Kansas City, Missouri to Charles William Gore, Athens, West Virginia).

2. Your grandfather while Associate Judge for the Counties of Howard and Tipton, Ind., changed the spelling of his name as the result of a joke. His associate was Judge Silas Blunt, one day he said to your grandfather, "Gore, the bloody man." Your grandfather responded by saying that he would "rather be bloody than Blunt, not sharp." Judge Blunt asked your grandfather to enter an order on the Court Docket changing the spelling of his name, which your grandfather did. Judge Blunt became Judge Blount. He then suggested that your grandfather change the spelling of his name. Your grandfather responded by saying that he would spell it Goar, so he would not "spill any of it," and from that time on, our immediate family have spelled it Goar (letter dated 21 March 1925 from Dr. Charles S. Goar, Indianapolis, Indiana to his cousin Mrs. Flossie Goar Cooper, Pineville, LA).

3. It is said that the two associate judges frequently overruled the presiding judge, who instructed them as to the law. The associate judges, in their opinion, stated that the statement of the law, by the president judge, might be the law, but it did not provide for justice, and they therefore overruled the opinion of the president judge. This is given as the reason for the repeal of the law providing for associate judges. This law was changed, and the new law provided for one judge, a new title of the common pleas court. This change took place in 1853.

During the time that Judge Joseph Goar and Judge Silas Blunt were associate judges, was when the spelling of the name, or spelling of Gore was changed to Goar, which was the result of a joke. Judge Silas Blunt addressed Judge Gore the "bloody man." Gore responded by saying he "would prefer to be gorey than blunt, not sharp." Judge Blunt ask Judge Gore to enter an order on the records of the courts spelling his name "Blount". This record was made by Judge Gore. Judge Blount suggested that Judge Gore should change the spelling of his name, Judge Gore responded he would spell it "Goar," so that he would not "spill" any of the Gore. Judge Blount entered on the records of the court, changing the spelling of Joseph Gore to that of Joseph Goar. All the documents and records show the name spelled Goar, since that time, of our immediate branch of the family (letter dated 4 November 1931 from Dr. Charles S. Goar, Indianapolis, Indiana to his cousin Joseph Elmer Goar, Kansas City, Missouri).

4. The old style of spelling "Gore" is used in the above, and was changed about 1834 to Goare and Goar, by the descendants of James and Sarah (Farley) Gore, in some of the families (Gore, Goare, Goar and Kindred by Joseph Elmer Goar, page 281, from an article entitled "Goar History" submitted by Dr. Charles S. Goar from information furnished by his sister Clarissa Emily (Goar) Kleyla).

5. Later in life, my father's oldest brother, Joseph, changed the name from Gore back to Goar. He was Judge Joseph Goar (Looking Backward by Mrs. Katie Goar Maze, 1943, page 11).

Joseph Goar and Silas Blount were appointed associate judges immediately after the formation of Tipton County in 1844 and they served together for a period of seven years. Accordingly, the alleged name change would have taken place some time between 1844 and 1851. However, according to Clarissa Emily (Goar) Kleyla, this name change took place in 1834 which was a year before Joseph and his family left Logan County, Virginia and migrated to Indiana. I do not understand why Joseph would have to change his name in the first place. His father was listed as James Goar in the 1820 and 1830 Monroe County, Virginia censuses so he and his family were using the Goar spelling since at least 1820. It would be a worthwhile project for someone living in central Indiana to check the court records to see if such a name change was actually ever recorded. It just does not seem plausible that a man would change the spelling of his last name as the result of a joke and then expect his parents and siblings to go along with it.

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