Bloomfield, San Juan County, New Mexico Genealogy

HOW THE TOWN OF BLOOMFIELD GOT ITS NAME ....... In 1882, John Bloomfield Sr. was living in Fruitland, New Mexico and had been going east to the town of Porter and Hammond to assist them in getting homes built and to help colonize that area. The ward or branch at Hammond had made some kind of an agreement with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake City to borrow some money to complete a canal to irrigate their land. The president of the stake and the other officials of the Hammond ward were in a controversy with the church leaders concerning tjhe payment of the debt and the need for more capital to finish the canal. On May 17, 1882, the people of Porter and Hammond together voted in a public meeting to change the name of these two places to the name of Bloomfield. The Stake President then went to John Bloomfield Sr. and asked him if he would come and live in the new town of Bloomfield and become the Bishop of that ward. He declined this offer because as he said: "You people are in controversy with the leaders of the church and it is your job to clear this controversy up.  I do not want to ever be in a position where I find myself opposing the leadership of the church." So he declined the offer and did not move to Bloomfield but the name Bloomfield still was kept as the name of the new town.