Questions about Godfather knives

I have a very old manual opening godfather (how old is unknown), and my cousin in ohio has an automatic one. First of all, there appeared to be a godfather in the movie "The Magnificent 7", and since that took place in the 1870's or so, it makes me wonder, how old is the design? And another thing, they seem rather uncomfortable to grip, so is there an accepted "proper" way to hold them for combat purposes?

The auto Godfather your cousin owns is made by Pro Tech Knives. The company is no more than 10 years old. The general design of a coffen handled pointy sticker is rather old and is appropriate all the way back to the 1860s.

Pro-Tech makes some awesome knives. I have a few of their stuff, and have always been very pleased.