ARCHIVIST OF THE HALL OF RECORDS 15

of the war on research, showed a precipitate drop to 3, 751 items.
This was followed by the low point of 1942-1943 when the number
was 2, 051; but that year consisted of only nine months as the State
moved the beginning of its fiscal year from October 1 to July 1. The
next two years yielded totals of 3, 515 and 3, 530.

The present year, which started after the German surrender in
Europe and witnessed, after only two months, the end of the con-
flict in the East, also brought with it the relaxation of restrictions
on travel by public conveyance and the lifting of gasoline rationing.
It also restored some of the leisure for intellectual pursuits which
the war had suppressed. Toward the end of the period, demobiliza-
tion had reached the point where a few graduate students in Uni-
versities were beginning to make inquiries. It is hoped that the
young men who once made Maryland a source of study will again
find interest in it. Their work will be facilitated by the concentra-
tion and servicing of records which have gone on at the Hall of Re-
cords during the period when time could be spared from the chores
of circulating records. In any case, the circulation for 1945-1946
jumped to 5, 959 items, almost twice that of any of the last four
years and over 15 per cent greater than the previous high year.

The number of visitors also increased, from 748 to 1, 045. Due
to the fact that during the early years of the Hall of Records every-
one who entered the building was asked to register and then counted,
whereas now only those persons who actually use our records are
considered, we shall never approach again the very large figures for
visitors which will be found in the earlier reports of the Archivist.
Our visitors this year came from twenty-seven states, the District
of Columbia and Canada. They used almost all of our record series.
The table which follows lists those series most often called for:

1945-46 1944-45 1943-44
Wills..................................... 1, 052 601 700

Accounts.................................. 883 409 462

Testamentary Proceedings................... 692 434 504

Inventories................................ 503 256 801

Deeds, Frederick County.................... 464 68 13

Deeds, Baltimore County................... 382 230 301

Inventories & Accounts..................... 264 118 216

Deeds, Anne Arundel County................ 222 197 195

Deeds, Prince George's County............. 218 132 127

Court Records, Charles County.............. 185 1

Judgments, Provincial Court................. 124 79 66