Collectors have contributed information about certificates for many years. Inevitably, some of their contributions included peripheral information covering a wide range of subjects.

In July, 2005, I began posting extra information about companies in four categories.

If you know anything more, please help. I will post your contributions within a couple of weeks, depending on the amount of free time I can find.

Simply write me with extra info, no matter if it is a single date. If you find mistakes in what I have already compiled, be sure to write. I always ask for corrections.

Organization dates. These are the earliest dates that companies are known to have started.

Unfortunately, these dates can be a little fuzzy. They can be the dates when companies filed organization papers with state agencies. They can be dates when investors met for the purpose of organizing companies. They can be dates when companies began actual operation. They can be dates when companies officially reorganized under new (or even the same) names.

If you find dates different than the ones already recorded, see if you can discover the cause. Then send corrections if necessary.

Wrap-up dates. These up dates are often hard, even impossible, to discover. They are sometimes the dates of abandonment, but they are more often dates of consolidation with larger companies. And remember, just because a company merged or consolidated, does NOT mean that the company quit business. Some companies existed as separate corporate entities for decades, even though they ceased public trading.

Nicknames. Almost every company had a nickname, and not always flattering. Many succesful companies used their nicknames or taglines in their advertising and promotion. Discriminating between the two is not always easy. So why bother?

Please contribute any nicknames or taglines you may have discovered. I do not ask for references. However, I ask that you tell me whether the name or tag was official or unofficial. Some unofficial nicknames had very wide coverage. Some nicknames were very local. A few unofficial nicknames became official after years of use.

Short company histories. Please write short articles telling the most important details about companies. Details may include:

To get you started, check here for some of the best hints and tricks for writing.

To help prevent someone else from writing about your favorite company before you finish, tell me what company you are going to write about. I will reserve the space for you for a couple of weeks.

You may also send corrections or additions to articles previously submitted. Mistakes and oversights will occur. I don't know about you, but I have never met a single person - ever - who did not make mistakes.

If writing, PLEASE write about only ONE AND ONLY ONE company at a time. I beg you, please do NOT combine multiple companies in your narration, even descendent companies. I simply do not have time to separate.

Presidents, CEO's, and chairmen. I am gradually compiling lists of principal company officers whose names appear on certificates. Even with everyone helping, this will take years to complete.

You do NOT need to be exhaustive. Ideally, I would like to learn when an individual began and ended service. However, that is not always possible, so contribute either the beginning or ending date when you know it.