Timelines

potomak newspaper e1533551244169

1790

Read All About It

The first newspaper in "West Virginia", titled The Potowmak Guardian and Berkeley Advertiser, is published by Nathaniel Willis in Mecklenburg (Shepherdstown). The paper was published from November, 1790 to January 15, 1798, however the earliest surviving issue that has been found to date is dated June 27, 1791. After ceasing to print the paper, Willis moved to Martinsburg and printed the publication, beginning April 3, 1792, under the shortened name of Potomak Guardian. Later, he changed the name yet again to Berkeley Advisor, before settling on the name Potomak Gaurdian.

See libraries that have issues of The Potowmak Gaurdian and Berkeley Advertiser.

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Timeline Help

A chronological listing of historical events which may have affected the lives of residents in eastern Jefferson County and surrounding areas.
1Where is this information from?
The vast majority of these accounts are taken from newspaper articles of local papers of the time period.
2How can I apply this information to my own research?

We use this timeline to help us understand the events that may have affected or shaped a person's life. Here are some ideas as to how this timeline may help your further your own research:

  • View events that may have affected a particular ancestor or their family members.
  • Uncover events which an ancestor may have participated in, leading to more sources of information.
  • Discover more about the history and culture of the area in which an ancestor lived.
  • Evaluate possible concerns and popular pastimes of an ancestor.
3I want to view a timeline of events in a specific area.
Click on "Location" in the "Filter by" bar. This will drop down a list of locations which currently have happenings in the timeline. Clicking on a location will show only events related to that specific area. Note that clicking on a county or state will show all happenings related to any location within that county (and any county within a state).
4I want to see timeline items between two years.
Click on "Years" in the "Filter by" bar. This will drop down a form which accepts a starting year and an ending year. Filling out both fields will display timeline items which took place in and between the two years. Filling out only one field will display all timeline items beginning at or ending on the years inputted.