Genealogy of the Family Boeree (Borry)

Peter Borry, born circa 1560 in Poperinghe (in what is now Belgium), a weaver of damask, fled to Haarlem circa 1583 to avoid persecution. His son, Michiel, starts the Haarlem (the Netherlands) branch of this family: By the time we reach the third generation after Michiel, the name has changed to Boeree. Although the name is a rare one, Boerees can be found all over the world!

The name Boeree derives from the French bourrée, which is a peasant clog dance as well as the music that accompanies it.  Originally, it meant anything that was stuffed or bundled, such as a bundle of firewood or a mattress.  The dance was probably originally performed around a bonfire, hence the name. 

It is the past participle of bourrer, meaning to fill or stuff a cushion or mattress with wool, down, or other materials. In turn, bourrer is the verb form of bourre, from the Latin burra, meaning raw wool, used for stuffing.  (The word has also been used over the centuries as slang for duck, policeman, and drunk!)

It is also the name of two towns in France.  One is Bouré, a village in Loir-et-Cher (north central France) on the Cher River, east of Tours.  The other is Borre, near Belgium, a few miles east of  Hazebrouck and not far from Poperinghe.  It is on the creek called Borrebecque, which empties into the small river called Bourre.  The Bourre in turn empties into the Lys, which winds its way up to Ghent, the Schelde, and finally the North Sea.  This village is likely to have been the origin of our family.

In the chart below, the numbers refer to generations. Children follow their parents as closely as possible, but may be separated by an older sibling's many descendants.

[Regarding the Coat of Arms, above:  Borry (Furnes, ou Vournes, Belgique) -- D’argent à la fasce de sable, ch. de quatre losenges du champ, et acc. en chef de trois mouch. d’herm. et en pointe d’un croiss. entre deux mouch. d’herm., le tout du second.  This is the most likely coat of arms connected with this family.  No direct heraldic claims are being made!  To see other possible coats of arms, click here.]

You may contact me at cgboeree@comcast.net

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