America’s Oldest Dividend Stocks - Part 1

With July 4th rapidly approaching, I’ve been wondering which dividend paying stocks are the oldest companies in America. I also tried to sort out which of these companies have the best history of paying and increasing dividends, and, just as important, which ones might be healthy enough to actually invest in. This “Old Timer’s Club” has a mixed membership, in more ways than one: 3 banks, 3 industrial giants, 2 insurance companies, 1 consumer goods manufacturer, 1 publisher, and 1 water utility