1840 Washington DC Deed | William Brent Clerk | Dower Release | Square 404 For Sale

**1840 Washington City, District of Columbia

Recorded Deed of Release / Reconveyance
Square 404, Ninth Street**

Original 1840 handwritten deed of release recorded in Washington County, District of Columbia, formally examined and entered into the land records by William Brent, Clerk of the Circuit Court for the District of Columbia. This document dissolves a prior deed of trust and restores full ownership of multiple parcels in Square 404 near Ninth Street, a developing section of early Washington City.

The deed is fully executed, properly acknowledged before two Justices of the Peace, and includes the signature and seal of the property owner’s wife, releasing her dower rights, a legally essential step under 19th-century property law.

Document Summary

• Date executed: January 20, 1840

• Date recorded: July 4, 1840

• Jurisdiction: Washington County, District of Columbia

• Record book: Liber M.S. No. 79, folios 467–470

• Transaction type: Deed of Release / Reconveyance

• Property: Multiple parcels in Square 404, City of Washington

• Street reference: Ninth Street

• Legal features:

  • Trust dissolution

  • Reconveyance to original owner

  • Formal dower release by wife

  • Dual Justice of the Peace acknowledgment

  • Clerk examination and recording endorsement

This is a textbook example of early federal-city conveyancing, not a casual or private agreement.

People Mentioned and Biographical ContextJames Towles

Property owner and principal party. Towles originally conveyed his property into a deed of trust in 1839 and is restored to full ownership through this 1840 reconveyance. His holdings in Square 404 place him within the early urban development of Washington City.

Catharine Ann Towles

Wife of James Towles and a required signatory. Her signature and seal formally release her dower rights, extinguishing any marital claim to the property and rendering the reconveyance legally complete. Female signatures on DC land instruments of this era are far less common and add legal and historical interest.

Benjamin K. Mundell

Trustee and party of the first part. Mundell held legal title under the 1839 deed of trust and joins in executing the release, transferring title back to Towles.

Leonidas Coyle

Co-trustee with Mundell. Coyle served as a fiduciary holding title under the trust and is a necessary party to the reconveyance. The use of two trustees suggests a formally structured and non-trivial trust arrangement.

Clement Tubbs Coote (1784–1849)

Justice of the Peace, Washington County, District of Columbia. Born in Sutton, Cambridgeshire, England, Coote served as a District magistrate during the city’s formative decades. He later died in Baltimore and was buried in Congressional Cemetery, a burial ground associated with prominent federal and civic officials.

William Thompson (1788–1878)

Justice of the Peace and police magistrate. Born in Hull, Yorkshire, England, Thompson served approximately forty years as a magistrate in Washington, D.C., including the year 1840. Like Coote, he is buried in Congressional Cemetery, underscoring his long civic service.

William Brent (1775–1848)

Clerk of the Circuit Court for the District of Columbia from 1805 to 1843. Brent was one of the most influential legal clerks in early Washington and previously served as a secretary to President Thomas Jefferson. His endorsement confirms the deed was officially examined and recorded in the county land records, a major marker of authenticity for DC property documents.

D. A. Morsell

Washington, D.C. attorney and legal intermediary. His name appears as part of the docketing or handling of the transaction, indicating professional legal management of the trust release and recording process.

Henry Hunt

Earlier grantor who conveyed portions of the property to James Towles in 1834 and 1838, establishing part of the chain of title.

James Lashley

Earlier grantor who conveyed part of Lot 4 in Square 404 to Towles in 1837, further documenting the property’s acquisition history.

Why This Document Matters

• Early Washington, D.C. urban land record

• Jefferson-era Clerk of Court endorsement

• Fully executed trust dissolution

• Married woman dower release, legally and historically significant

• Multiple Congressional Cemetery officials involved

• Clear chain of title references across multiple years

Condition

Complete, legible manuscript with original seals and recording endorsement. Expected folds from 19th-century filing. No fatal losses or missing text.