The House of 7 Gables

Here's a history question...Why did the author Nathaniel Hawthorne change his last name by 1 letter?

1668 for Capt. John Turner, no relation to Will Turner from Pirates of the Caribbean. 

There are 17 rooms in this house. What could a person do with this many rooms?  There is what looks like a wood closet but has a false back. When opened, the back leads to a secret staircase which leads up to the attic. The purpsose was to hide from being burned during the witch trials.


Ok, back to my question... Why did the author Nathaniel Hawthorne change his last name? He didn't want to be scorned by the community due to his ancestor John Hathorne, a judge during the Salem Witch Trials. Nathaniel later added a "w" to make his name "Hawthorne"


Wrote 'The House Seven Gables' in 1851.