BLOOMFIELD, the capital of Davis county, Iowa, 95 miles S. W. from Iowa City, is situated on a fine rolling prairie, and is the principal town in the county. It is surrounded with land of great fertility, which is rapidly filling up with settlers. (Baldwin's New and Complete Gazetteer of the United States..., 1854)
BLOOMFIELD, the seat of justice for Davis, is located in the geographical centre of the county, about nineteen miles almost due south from Ottumwa. It is the largest and most thriving town in the county, and is situated in the midst of a fine agricultural district, which increasing in population and wealth each year, adds materially to the prosperity and steady growth of the place. There are now six dry goods, five grocery, two drug, two stove, tin and hardware, and three general stores; one printing office, one bank, two hotels, one jeweler, two merchant tailor establishments and an equal proportion of cabinet, blacksmith, and other mechanical shops. In the town and vicinity there are several church organizations, Baptist, Christian, Methodist, Presbyterian, etc. The A. F. and A. Masons have a Lodge, (Franklin No. 14,) at this place, in a flourishing condition, as also have the I. O. O. F. The Union Guard, a weekly newspaper published here, disseminates news items of general interest to the citizens of the town and country adjacent. (Hair's Iowa State Gazetteer..., 1865)