During the colonial period, residents of Northern Virginia were more closely connected with their neighbors across the Potomac River than they were with the people of the lower Tidewater because of the distance to Williamsburg. The compiler used bound photostats found in the Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore and microfilm available at the Alexandria Library. There were no issues between October 10, 1765 and May 22, 1766 and between December 25, 1777 and May 7, 1779. In spite of these gaps, the Maryland Gazette provides many more details about life in the Potomac River region than its Virginia counterpart.