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C. Ashley Ellefson, professor emeritus of history, had his recent writings placed on the Web in mid-January as Volume 847 of the Archives of Maryland Online. His manuscript is titled “Fortune’s Orphan: The Troubled Career of Thomas Macnemara in Maryland, 1703-1719.” According to Ellefson, Macnemara was probably the best lawyer of his time in Maryland, but he was constantly in trouble because he was not afraid to challenge a corrupt political system and a haphazard system of justice. At the same time, he was popular enough with the voters of Annapolis that he became a member of the city council. From there he became an alderman, then mayor of the city and finally an alderman again. Historians have condemned him because they have believed everything his enemies said about him without looking further. In his manuscript, Ellefson has tried to present a more realistic view of Macnemara.