Living in the Lodge: 1930 Census Lodgers
(Beatrice Wilda Heatherington Bittman)
Beatrice’s dorm room at the Packard Proving Grounds lodge.
The Packard Proving Grounds was more than a vehicle testing site – it was home, and a chapter in the lives of those who lived and worked there.
This blog series provides a glimpse into the lives of those listed as residents of the Packard Proving Grounds in the 1930 census. Among them were mechanics, support staff, and family members of the on-site superintendent, Charles Vincent.
In this article, we are introduced to Beatrice Wilda Heatherington Bittman, a woman whose life stretched from rural Ontario to Michigan, and whose nursing skills may have quietly supported the entire proving grounds community.
Proving Grounds Lodge Resident: Beatrice Wilda Heatherington Bittman
1894 – unknown
Life at the Packard Proving Grounds
The 1930 census reveals that Beatrice W. Bittman lived at the Packard Proving Grounds as a servant and was trained as a hospital nurse. At the time, Lucile Vincent was pregnant with her daughter, Roberta. Having someone with nursing skills on site would have been invaluable – not only for Lucille during her pregnancy, but for anyone who might have required immediate medical attention.
Early Life
Beatrice was born in 1894 in Thornbury, Ontario, Canada, the fourth of ten children born to James and Minerva (McGuire) Heatherington. Her father worked as a plumber, and she was raised in the Methodist faith.
No known photographs of Beatrice have been found. Historical records offer some insight into her life.
Records reveal that she frequently traveled across the U.S.–Canada border in 1914. A ship manifest described her as 5’4”, fair-complexioned, with brown hair and blue eyes. It also listed her occupation as dressmaker and domestic worker. She had traveled to live with her sister, Mrs. F. M. Taylor, at 65 E. Forte Street in Pontiac, Michigan.
US-Canada border manifests for Beatrice Bittman, dated May 20, 1914 (Left) and May 30, 1914 (Right).
Marriage and Family Life
In 1916, Beatrice married Gordon Charles Bittman, a watchmaker from Collingwood, Ontario. Her sister, Nona, served as a witness to the marriage, and the certificate identified Beatrice’s occupation as “nurse.”
A 1930 border crossing record identifies her as a nurse, a profession she likely prepared for at the nursing school established in 1898 at Collingwood General and Marine Hospital, not far from her hometown of Thornbury, Ontario.
Beatrice crossed the border to be closer to her sister, who lived near the Packard Proving Grounds in Washington Township.
After the Proving Grounds
What happened to Beatrice after her time at the Packard Proving Grounds remains a mystery. Although the historical record is fragmentary, the surviving documents portray her as a capable individual whose nursing skills would have been regarded as a valuable resource for all who lived and worked at the Packard Proving Grounds.
