Manuscript Ledger of Alfred A. Eyler detailing land sale transactions on a Journey to the West (1868-1870

8vo, red leather stamped in gilt, 228 pp. (40 pages are used, the rest are blank), plus 3 manuscript documents laid in. Joints tender, extremity rubbing, a few chips to top and bottom of spine;very good. Incredible ledger, which if it is to be believed, records land sales that border on the criminally absurd. Entire states and territories are sold for small amounts of cash. Alfred Allen Eylar, born in Ohio in 1820, now of Pontiac, Illinois, has partnered with Eli Keith (indicated by an agreement, laid in) to set out for the wide west, selling large tracts of land to what must have been very gullible people. A brief itinerary of the journey is laid in, with expenses, and further expenses are detailed in the rear of the ledger.The main part of the of this rledger records 23 land transactions, selling off towns, counties, and even entire states and territories. "Illinois. To E.K. Wood of DeWitt Iowa, The Entire City of Chicago and County of Cook. Recd. for the same $3,260 in R. Road bonds on the West Virgina & Kentucky R. Road, Keith and Eylar sold the above..." Samuel W. Harding of St. Louis got the entire state of Main for 80 acres of land in Phelps County Missouri. "California sold to Joshua Hobbs Hamilton Finney & Garret Young of Independence Missouri for $1,500.00 Five hundred in one year one thousand in two years from date." Most of the entries are a half page or less, and while some of the ink has faded a bit, the records are fairly legible.