"stark" origins

These are a few pages from "The Stark Story" a special publication of "The Bulletin "  September, 1966, Missouri Historical Society.  Read the part, "For Bravery a New Name"  and then notice the family crest and house on the next page.  These people (from Stark Nurseries) claim the Revolutionary War hero John Stark as a cousin to their progenitor, but I think that my mother thought we were direct descendants from him.  I will need to see if I can make the connection.  Anyway, we are all descended from a very "stark" or strong person!

I am seeing that this is difficult to read so I will type it in
The first to bear the name was born John Muirhead.  How he acquired the name Stark is an interesting story.  John Muirhead was bodyguard to King James IV of Scotland.  While hunting one day, he noticed that an angry bull was about to attack the King, who was standing under a group of oak trees.  With no thought to his own safety, young Muirhead sprang forward and grasped the bull by the horns, in his great strength almost tearing the animal's head from its shoulders.  In gratitude for having thus been saved from almost certain death, King James decreed that henceforth John Muirhead and his descendants should bear the name of Stark, meaning strength in their ancient homeland of German Gaul, and should have on their coat of arms the head of a rugged bull, three acorns symbolizing the oak trees under which the King had been standing, and the motto: Fortiorum Fortia Facta (brave deeds of brave men).  The King also gave Muirhead a grant of land in the Cumberland area of Scotland, near Loch Lomond, and there for nearly 200 years the Stark family live and prospered, the eldest son traditionally bearing the name of John Stark.