Several new databases have been added to the growing array of web pages to assist researchers at the Archives. 

Some of the databases were donated by a patron who wishes to remain anonymous and consist of indexes to heads of families in the 1870 census for Calvert, Caroline, Cecil, Kent, Queen Anne's, Somerset, and Talbot counties. A typical entry gives the name of the head of the family, age, sex, race, birthplace, microfilm number and page reference, and MSA series number. 

The other databases, done by staff and interns, consist of those portions of the Baltimore City Directories for 1871 and 1881 that list African American residents. These records are particularly useful for helping locate Baltimore City African Americans in the 1870 and 1880 censuses since the directories were compiled at the same time the censuses were taken, but published the following the years. Each entry gives the name of the person, address, occupation, MSA series number, and microfilm number. 

All of these finding aids make the researcher's task much easier. The compilers, whether patrons or staff, are to be commended. 

The Hall of Records Commission met on November 14 at the Archives with Chairman Robert M. Bell, Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals, presiding. He began with a moment of silence for those affected by the events of September 11. 

During the presentation on special meetings of the Commission, Ed Papenfuse discussed the presentation of the Taggart Map to the Clerk of the Washington County Circuit Court, which has been discussed in a previous Bulldog article. After the appearance of newspaper articles about this rare 1859 map of Washington County, the existence of three others became known, including one in pristine condition. 

Among the records retention schedules approved by the Commission were several from the City of Frederick. The municipality had embarked on a project, still in progress, to develop schedules for all city agencies after questions were raised by a private citizen and inquiries were made to the Archives and the Attorney General's office. 

The Archivist's report included several of Ed's activities in the past few months. In June, he served as a guest lecturer at UMBC's Summer Institute for history teachers on the topic of defining "American" after World War II, with a focus on Whittaker Chambers vs. Alger Hiss. As a result, the Institute was able to obtain a grant for continuation of its program for teachers. 

In July, Ed took a research trip to England in relation to the Potomac River U.S. Supreme Court case involving Virginia and Maryland. He discovered that the original Charter of Maryland was written in English, not Latin, as had been presumed in the past. Ed also discussed his trip to China to visit the Anhui Provincial Archives Bureau at the invitation 

During the summer, the Archives acquired a collection of materials from former Governor Marvin Mandel that included tapes of his press conferences speeches and others given by Edmund Muskie and Spiro Agnew. An intern converted the tapes to CD digital audio for preservation and future Internet availability. 

Ed mentioned several finding aids and publications. The print edition of the 2001 Maryland Manual is smaller than usual, but includes a CD of the full online version. Ed praised the efforts of Lynne MacAdam and Diane Evartt for their editorial and production work on the book. The Archives of Maryland web site is becoming ever more popular, with 500,000 hits in FY2000 and 3,000,000 expected this fiscal year. One goal is putting online all session laws and uncopyrighted annotated codes. Jean Russo, a guest at the Commission meeting, was recognized for her efforts as associate editor. In the future, the Commission will meet with the Archives
of Maryland Advisory Panel. 

Plats.net is expanding to encompass other types of records, such as land record pages for Baltimore County and a judgment record for Queen Anne's County. A future Archives publication will result from a conservation survey of the works on paper in the Peabody Art Collection.

This fall Ed is co-teaching a class on race and the law at the University of Maryland School of Law. The course concerns a review of court cases that involved African American attorneys and that went to the Court of Appeals. 

Ed updated the commission on the activities of the Slavery Commission. Recently completed was a project to accumulate and digitize pages from the Coleman Directories that listed African Americans and their businesses in the Baltimore, Washington,

and Annapolis areas for 1913-1946. The directories are scattered among several institutions and all but two volumes have been located. These books will help identify African Americans who served in the Maryland judiciary. David Taft Terry has been hired as research administrator for the Slavery Commission. 

The new roof for the Hall of Records building is progressing well, thanks to the efforts of the 

Legislation to be introduced at the next General Assembly Session will change the recordation procedure for state road plats. Currently, the State Highway Administration files plats with the court clerks in the counties where the roads are located. Under the proposed law, the plats would be filed with the State Archives and would then be made available electronically through its web site. This change, which is supported by the Department of Transportation and the court clerks, should save money for the state and make information readily available. 

On Veterans Day in 2000, Archives employee Lee Evans attended the ceremonies at Mount Vernon and was inspired to compose a poem in commemoration of the event. The staff of Mount Vernon was so intrigued with his composition that they featured it in the 2001 Veterans Day program. Copies were distributed to visitors during the day. 

That overcast November day we came 
To see Mount Vernon, tourists thronged your home, 
Competing for what fragments could be known 
Two hundred years obscured with mythic fame, 
Their generations nursed upon your Name. 
How hard it is to reconstruct in mind, 
From out the varied relics that men find, 
The moments that you lived! But in that frame 
You reared above Potomac's winding shore, 
Took place a scene that each of us shall soon 
Participate in, when life's breath no more 
Sustains our bodies in th' encircling gloom. 
That day, I stood in line before Death's door, 
And placed a red carnation at your Tomb.