The recent debate regarding usernames and website names prompted a phone call from a rancher friend of mine from California.
It seems the tradition of naming homesteads started back around the time the country was founded. In those days NOBODY CONSIDERED THE NEED TO TRADEMARK THE NAME OF A FARM OR A RANCH.
In those days of honor, honesty and tradition, it was widely understood that when someone placed a name on a Farm, Ranch or homestead, it was theirs and nobody elses.
Such as the name MURTHAVEN and subsequently MURTHAVENFLORIDA.
When My ancestors first settled in the Southern Tier of New York state, they named their farm MURTHAVEN.
Over the 125 years of it's existance, everyone in Chemung County knew of Murthaven and where it was located. Soon after my father's death, my mother sold the Farm and thus it was renamed by the new owners.
What is interesting is that after 20 years of owning the property, the new owners still tell those looking for the place to ask the locals where MURTHAVEN is. Thus is the heritage and tradition of naming family homesteads, Farms and Ranches.
In 1975, when I came to Florida, I named my first property MURTHAVEN FLORIDA.
When I built the house in which I currently reside, it was named THE MURTHAVEN FLORIDA RANCH as it is agricultural property.
Did I trademark it? No. Did I copyright it/ No.
In this era of liars, decievers and charlitans, I should have.
MURT
