Cordelia Harmon was born in Maine in 1822. As an adult, she dedicated her life to helping those who suffered from physical illness and poverty. Her mother, Mary Harmon, was an invalid later in life, which may have influenced Cordelia’s commitment to helping others. Along with Phillips Brooks, well-known rector of Trinity Church, she founded The Boston Home in 1881. First known as The Boston Home for Incurables, it was incorporated in 1884, not long after her death, and established on a parcel of land known as The Codman Farm. When Cordelia died, Reverend Brooks wrote of her: “She was a good true woman, and the amount of help that she has given to the poor and comfort to the suffering is incalculable.” A stained-glass window in her memory was installed in Trinity Church, where she was a parishioner, but it did not survive when the church was renovated. The Boston Home, however, does survive and today specializes in serving a diverse group of adults diagnosed with neurological disorders.
