 He was appointed an Officer of the House of Orange Nassau for his work on behalf of relief to the Dutch people during World War I.

Hiemenga has also been noted as an expert on Dutch-American dialects, especially in Western Michigan and New Jersey.Hiemenga married Dena Fles (d. 1915); they had one daughter, Hermine Venema.In 1916 he married Wilhelmina Hoodeman (1898-1987), they had two daughters, Ruth Himes and Mae Westra.