Living in the Lodge: 1930 Census Lodgers
(Raymond Gustave Heinrich)
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 offers 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 onsite superintendent, Charles Vincent.
We began the series with Sophie Smolinski Miller, a resilient woman whose story stretched from Detroit’s immigrant neighborhoods to the California coast.
Now, we turn to another resident of the Lodge dormitory: Raymond Gustave Heinrich.
Proving Grounds Lodge Resident: Raymond Gustave Heinrich
August 10, 1893 – April 20, 1982
Early Life
Raymond was born in Illinois in 1893, but his family moved to Michigan shortly thereafter. He was the oldest of four children – William, Leon, and Beatrice Crothers – born to William and Lillian Heinrich (née Sander). His father was a saloon keeper in Battle Creek.
By the age of 17, Raymond was apprenticing in a machine shop, setting the stage for his future in mechanics.
Marriage and Family Life
On August 13, 1910, Raymond married Myrtle Norton. The couple had one son, William Raymond, born on December 30, 1911. They lived at 39 Harrison Street in Battle Creek, where Raymond worked as a chauffeur. Unfortunately, the marriage ended in divorce on February 26, 1916.
Not long after the divorce, Raymond enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1917. He served until January 18, 1919, just after the end of World War I. His draft card listed his occupation as an automobile mechanic.
Raymond’s WWI registration card
In the 1920 census, Raymond is recorded as working as a pressman in the Paper Boy Factory at the age of 24.
Working for the Packard Proving Grounds
The 1930 census listed Heinrich as a chief mechanic at the Packard Proving Grounds.
In 1928, Raymond was hired by the Packard Motor Car Company. According to the 1930 census, he was listed as the chief mechanic at the Packard Proving Grounds, where he also resided. He remained there until 1942, when he moved into a home at 5015 Cass Avenue in Utica.
His WWII registration card, though incorrectly listing his birthdate, noted that he was employed by Chrysler at the time – likely still connected to the Proving Grounds during the era when tank testing was conducted onsite.
Heinrich’s WWII registration card
Second Marriage and Retirement
Raymond remarried on September 26, 1947, at the age of 49. His second wife was Helen P. Wales. The couple eventually relocated to Homosassa Springs, Florida, where Raymond passed away from cancer in 1982. He is buried alongside Helen at Meadowlawn Memorial Gardens Cemetery in New Port Richey, Florida.
