384 PREFACE 



The Denigs came to their present name in the following manner: 

 After the Kalmar War, 1611-1613, conditions in Denmark became 

 critical, and the Danes were hard pressed for all the necessaries of 

 life, especially foodstuffs. They were therefore forced to import 

 grain from neighboring countries. So it happened that Ludvig 

 Thorvaldsen. born in 1590, was sent by his father", Thorvald Chris- 

 tiansen, to Valen in Westphalia, a district still renowned for its 

 agriculture, to buy corn. 



Ludvig went there every fall for three or four successive years. 

 Eventually the Westphalians nicknamed him Deneke; "Den" mean- 

 ing Dane, and the suffix " eke," like " ike," " ing," and " ig," a diminu- 

 tive, derivative, or patronymic. Naturally this surname was in it 

 used at home, but it became useful when occasional trips took mem- 

 bers of the family outside of Denmark. 



The use of such a nom de guerre has always been popular with 

 Scandinavian and kindred races like the Friesians. As the supply 

 of available names did not meet the demand, frequent similarity 

 of names made it difficult to avoid losing one's identity. 



When Frederick Svensen Deneg had settled in Biebrich-Mosbach 

 the name Deneg had to undergo another change. While in the north 

 the syllable " eg " is pronounced like " ek," the Chatto-Franconian 

 dialect around Mayence pronounces it like " esh." Automatically, 

 for euphonic reasons the name was dialectic-all} - changed to Denig. 

 In former times such capricious changes in names were frequently 

 made. In perusing old chronicles many names are found written 

 in three or four different ways within one century. An instance to 

 the point is the Frankish name of King Meroveg, who was also 

 called Merovig, and his descendants were called Meroveger, Mero- 

 viger. and Merovinger, according to dialects spoken in the different 

 regions of the former Frankish empire. This parallels the change 

 of Deneg to Denig. 



Upon his arrival, September .">. 1851, at Fort Union, 3 miles 

 above the mouth of the Yellowstone River on the Missouri. Mr. 

 Frederick Kurz, the Swiss artist, of Berne, Switzerland, who had 

 heard some ugly rumors about Mr. Denig. wrote in his Journal 

 (yet in manuscript) : " Bellange delivered the letter he brought to 

 a small, hard-featured man, wearing a straw hat, the brim of which 

 was turned up in the back. He was my new bourgeois, Mr. Denig. 

 He impressed me as a rather prosy fellow. . . . He ordered sup- 

 per delayed on our account that we might have a better and more 

 plentiful meal. A bell summoned me to the first table with Mr. 

 Denig and the clerks. My eyes almost ran over with tears. There 

 was chocolate, milk, butter, omelet, fresh meat, hot bread — what 

 a magnificent spread. I changed my opinion at once concerning 



