John W. Ashbury pens book on Frederick history

Apr. 25—John Ashbury jokes that his memory isn't what it once was now that he's reached his 80s. But you wouldn't know that if you watched him flip through a copy of his recently published book.

Every few pages, he stops. His eyes light up. And he begins to rattle off facts and figures with the dexterity of a man who has spent most of his life immersed in the study of history.

Ashbury, a local author and historian, just released his fourth book. It's called "Reflections," and it's billed as a collection of "eclectic selections from the archives of Frederick Magazine."

Since 2006, Ashbury has written a regular column for the magazine called Reflections. In each piece, he profiles a person, place or event that in some way shaped Frederick County's history. The new book compiles all 86 columns that Ashbury has published over the years, plus one that's due to run in May.

The 87 subjects in the book "run the gamut," Ashbury said.

There's Morton Mower, who grew up downtown in the 1930s and '40s and is the co-inventor of the automatic implantable cardioverter-defibrillator, a widely used medical device similar to a pacemaker. Mower was an accomplished clarinetist, Ashbury recalls easily, not having to read the words on the page. He was picked on a lot in high school, Ashbury adds matter-of-factly.

There's Shadrach Bond, who was born in Frederick in 1773 and went on to become the first governor of Illinois.

There's Ambrosia Clarke, who raised 24 children in Frederick County and was one of the first Marylanders to donate blood during World War II. She went on to donate more than seven gallons of blood to military hospitals before doctors ordered her to stop, and she devoted the rest of her life to aiding veterans.

"There's so many people that have had an impact on Frederick, and its history that nobody knows about," Ashbury said, looking down at Clarke's picture.

Ashbury conducts his research all over the county. He relies on the library at Mount St. Mary's University, the local historical society and the internet.

Every day, he logs onto a Facebook page called "Frederick Maryland Old Photos."

But he gives special thanks in the foreword of his latest book to the staff at the Maryland Room in the C. Burr Artz Public Library in downtown Frederick, which houses primary and secondary local history documents.

Mary Mannix, who has managed the Maryland Room for 25 years, said she's become accustomed to Ashbury's calls over the years. His work "makes history more digestible," she said.

"John does important work," Mannix said. "People will be using his work for generations."

For years, Ashbury kept a file cabinet full of 365 manilla folders, one for each day of the calendar year. He would write down and file away any notable events that happened in Frederick County on a given day. He recently donated his file cabinets and his extensive collection of books to the Maryland Room, where Mannix now uses them to assist other researchers.

Ashbury says he engages with history in some way almost every day.

He's currently working on compiling his own family history.

The passion dates back to his adolescence, when Ashbury would eavesdrop on the conversations that important community figures would have with his father, who was the rector of All Saints Episcopal Church in downtown Frederick. That sparked a fascination that has never faded, Ashbury said.

Most of his ideas for Reflections pieces arise during conversations over meals with friends, he said. They'll mention a grandparent or cousin or friend who did something interesting, and Ashbury will jot it down.

"People don't realize they know what they know," Ashbury said. "It's memories to them. I take those memories from other people and turn them into things like this book."

He hopes the book will inspire others to explore local history.

And he hopes to continue researching and writing.

"I just enjoy the hell out of it," he said.

Follow Jillian Atelsek on Twitter: @jillian_atelsek