Simplify the following text for a Grade 9 native English-speaking person.
Original: From 1945 to 2011 , it was the `` Mercury '' half of the Lincoln-Mercury division of Ford , except for the 1958-1960 inclusion of the Edsel brand .
Simplified: Mercury was the automobile division for Ford . The company was founded around 1939 and , between 1945 and 2011 , was the Mercury half of Lincoln-Mercury division of the Ford Motor Company .