A company's track record for paying dividends is a good indicator of how versatile and adaptable the business is in dealing with changing economic conditions. That doesn't mean that the dividend will always be safe and that payouts will always continue, but it's an important factor that dividend investors often consider when picking income stocks. Three stocks that have been making dividend payments going back to the 1800s are Eli Lilly (NYSE: LLY), Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO), and Toronto-Dominion Bank (NYSE: TD). Here's a look at how far back their streaks go and why these are still terrific dividend stocks to own today.

Eli Lilly has been paying investors a dividend since 1885. Over the years, it has evolved, acquired companies, brought new drugs to market, and continued to be a reliable dividend investment. Today, the stock may not look like much of an income investment; it's only yielding 0.7% -- well below the S 500 average of 1.4%.

But in reality, this has been an exceptional dividend stock. The company has doubled its dividend payments in just the past five years. Although its yield looks low, that's only because of how hot the stock has been of late. In three years, shares of Eli Lilly have soared more than 300%. If not for its rapidly rising share price, Eli Lilly's dividend yield would be much higher than it is today.

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Source Fool.com