SYLVIA PALMER BLOOMFIELD

1881 – 1949

Sylvia “Sadie” Bloomfield, née Palmer (1881-1949), was the mother of the late Professor Lincoln Palmer Bloomfield (in addition to daughters Catherine – “Kitty” – and Joyce), and the  grandmother of Lincoln Palmer Bloomfield, Jr. Born in Manhattan of immigrant German parentage, she grew up in Brooklyn and trained as an opera singer, graduating from Hunter College and studying at the New England Conservatory of Music.

In 1902 she married Meyer Bloomfield (1878-1938). With Meyer Bloomfield she co-founded the Civic Service House of Boston, and helped to create the Boston Music School Settlement. She was a founder of the Boston League of Women Voters, and a leader in the Ethical Culture Society, as well as a director of Stuyvesant Neighborhood House and the Madison House Settlement. Living in New York and Scituate, Massachusetts, Sylvia performed as a young woman with the Boston Opera Society and other musical organizations, appearing as well in neighboring towns including Scituate and Cohasset, Massachusetts. One 78 RPM recording preserves her memorable mezzo soprano voice. The name Palmer Coates honors Sylvia Palmer Bloomfield’s commitment to social betterment and her love of music, which lives on through many of her heirs.

• Meyer Bloomfield