The Fourth Generation: Children of the Boom

The Great-great-grandchildren of Hendrik Bor and Bastiaantje Leenheer

Like their parents, the children of the fourth generation were born over a period of about fifty years in all, from the 1930s to the 1980s, yet the great majority seem to have been born within the thirty-year period from 1940 to 1970. Only a few were born in the 30s and 70s and only one is known to have been born in the 80s. As a group, therefore, the children of the fourth generation were the children of the boom–the great post-war economic boom and the famous Baby Boom. As such, they grew up in a nation considerably different from that of their parents, whose childhood had been marked by depression and war. The Boomers were instead raised in a world of unprecedented prosperity and grew up under the influence of radio, television, popular music, and the common American "youth culture." Moreover, they shared in the prosperity at increasingly early ages. Most were able to start working part-time jobs while they were still in high school and spent their money on themselves. They did not have to contribute their earnings to the family budget like their parents had. And as soon as they graduated from high school, many went away to college or moved out of the family house into their own apartments. They gained an unusually early independence from their families.

All this produced a significant decline in their connection with their immigrant roots. Bombarded by television and movies, the Boomers grew up within a national culture that was only slightly affected by local differences. While most were probably aware of their Dutch ancestry, few were interested in it, and their knowledge of family was limited to immediate aunts and uncles and a few cousins. I myself, growing up in the middle of the Michigan Borrs, remember only hints that we were somehow related to the Mulders; I knew nothing about the Van Eycks and the Hieftjes, let alone the Boomkers in Chicago. I seldom met any of the other Borrs beside my immediate aunts and uncles, and heard only one story about the old Borr farm on 16th Street. Even though I was already interested in history, local family history was not part of it. And from what I have seen, this attitude was general among the members of my generation. We were Americans first; being Dutch was ancient history, and we preferred to forget about it.

The increasing mobility of post-War America also encouraged the dissolution of ties with family and with the local area. As the children of the fourth generation reached adulthood, they moved with increasing rapidity all over the country, following in many cases the post-war movements of their own parents. Today the descendents of this generation can be found in most of the states of the union. Even Dutch names are becoming a minority. Among the great-great-grandchildren of Hendrik and Bastiaantje Bor today, one is as likely to encounter an Emory, an Underwood, a Carpenter, or a McQueen as a Van Eyck, Mulder, or Hieftje. It is likely that a good number of the fourth and fifth generation Borr descendents do not even known they have any Dutch ancestry.

The increasing dispersal of the descendents and the lack of a common name also makes it increasingly difficult to track down all the current descendents, so the following can provide a history of a few of those who have been traced to date.

In all, there are 268 enumerated descendents of Hendrik and Bastiaantje Bor in the fourth generation, but names are available for only some of them. This includes Jeffrey Borr, who was killed in Vietnam in 1969, the only son of this generation known to have died in his nation’s service.

In general, the Borrs seem to have stuck fairly closely to the Western Michigan area. Among the stem family names there are 18 Borrs currently listed in the Holland-Zeeland area telelphone directory and several more in Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo. As far as can be determined, all are descendents of Hendrik and Bastiaantje. In contrast, there are only 5 Van Eycks currently listed in the Holland-Zeeland telephone directory and only 4 Hieftjes.

1. The Van Eyck family

It is known that there are at least 37 descendents of Hendrik and Bastiaantje Bor in the fourth generation that runs through Ryk and Hannah Van Eyk, however, the actual names are known for only two of these.

In the most direct line is Raymond Van Eyck, who lives with his wife Sharon at 4348 46th Street in Holland and is a member of the Seventh Day Adventist Church. Robert Van Eyck lives close by at 4314 46th Street and belongs to the same church. He works as a nurse at Allegan General Hospital.

2. The Peter Borr family

There are 66 identified descendents of Hendrik and Bastiaantje Bor in the fourth generation that runs through Peter and Gertie Borr.

One of the most professional families are the children of Mark and Esther DeJonge of Zeeland. Clark became an aeronautical engineer, Hope became a nurse and married a doctor, and John joined the Holland Police Force. This makes three straight generations of Borrs who have served on the Holland Police Force: Henry Borr, Burton Borr, and John DeJonge.

3. The Henry Bor family

There are 93 identified descendents of Hendrik and Bastiaantje Bor in the fourth generation that runs through Henry and Martha Bor. This is the largest group of this generation that has been identified, but this is mainly because a large number have remained in the Holland-Zeeland area and so can be identified and queried. There are also a large number of professionals among them and their spouses.

Linda Van Egmond graduated from Hope College and the University of Illinois, where she married a mechanical engineer who now works for Eli Lilly Pharmaceuticals in Indianapolis.

Wayne Van Egmond obtained a degree in airplane mechanics from the University of Illinois and has worked for private corporations in Illinois, Michigan, and North Carolina. He is married and has two children.

Joann Whitefleet received a Ph.D. in chemistry and married a minister. They have served churches in South Bend, Indiana and New England.

Matthew Mead obtained a degree in engineering and is currently working in Iowa. He is married and has two children.

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