Trying to explore the concept of value in ledgers, consulted an 1873 book on accounting which has a fresh view of the subject. The book also has an unexpected phrase:
With regard to stocks, the titles of account, by which value in them is kept trace of, will be suggested from their descriptive names.
If it be desirable to keep trace of the different species of merchandise separately, it is customary to keep account of them by a specific name, as wheat, flour, sugar, cotton, etc.
Keep trace is a strong metaphor. You’re not just recording facts, you’re making an abstract copy of the facts.
When did keep trace shift to keep track, which is not a good metaphor? Google doesn’t find an easy answer. Other uses of track make more sense. Tracking down is literally following footprints. On the right track refers to lanes in a horserace. Keep track might have ‘regularized’ under the influence of the other track phrases.
Polistra's Mill 