I am going to digress a little in this post. I have been wanting to extol the wonderful research tool of the NY Times archive (my example link is a search for Standard Oil articles). On the Times website you can search past newspaper articles, not solely from the Times, but also some smaller local newspapers all the way back to 1851. For ephemera collectors this is an excellent tool to research names, places and events. I bought an old banquet menu for a banquet held in Hartford Connecticut. I was able to find an article about the actual event back in 1870. I had to pay a small fee to actually view the article, but the information it contained was invaluable. For you stock certificate (scripopoly) collectors it also is a wonderful tool to look up companies that you are having a hard time finding on the internet or in books. Not all articles require payment, many many of them are free to view.
Another excellent source of information is searching google books. Many of the older books are full view. I have found this source particularly good for researching companies trade cards. Usually, I use google books to piece together a nice description of the company.
Finally, one of the best historical society websites is the Wisconsin State Historical Society. The website and the society's progressive foray into online collections has won awards. Keep this site in mind too if you happen to have something from the Badger State.
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