Details:

William Thornton autographed three-page manuscript land release document, comprising two separate sheets measuring approximately 13 x 8”, as Justice of the Peace on April 20, 1821. The entirely manuscript document concerns the release of a mortgage on a parcel of land in Washington County, District of Columbia, between Harvey Bestor and Benjamin M. Belt, both of Washington, D.C.

The document is signed multiple times by Thornton in his official capacity. On the third page, Thornton and his wife, Anna Maria Thornton, sign as witnesses to Harvey Bestor’s execution of the instrument. Below, Thornton and Rebecca A. W. Radcliff witness Bestor’s receipt of payment, followed by Thornton and fellow Justice of the Peace W. S. Radcliff certifying the transaction. The docket on the fourth page is additionally signed by William Brent, Clerk of the Court, recording the document in the Washington County land records on April 25, 1821.

The instrument releases an earlier mortgage dated June 19, 1819, by which Harvey Bestor mortgaged a parcel of land to Benjamin M. Belt as security for a debt of $1,300. Following repayment of the debt, this document formally releases the mortgage and restores full title to Bestor. The lengthy legal description identifies the property and its appurtenances in detail, providing an excellent example of an early nineteenth-century District of Columbia land conveyancing.

Good condition, with expected fold separations, scattered edge wear, minor paper loss along the margins, and overall age toning. 

William Thornton (1759-1828) was one of the most influential architects and public servants of the early United States. He is best remembered for designing the United States Capitol after winning the national architectural competition in 1793 and also designed the Octagon House, one of Washington’s most celebrated residences. In 1802, President Thomas Jefferson appointed Thornton the first Superintendent of the United States Patent Office, a position he held for more than twenty-five years while overseeing the nation’s growing system of innovation. Documents signed by Thornton are uncommon, and examples witnessed by both Thornton and his wife, Anna Maria Thornton, are particularly desirable. Anna Maria Thornton was one of early Washington’s leading social figures and diarists, whose journals provide an invaluable firsthand record of life in the nation’s capital during its formative years.

Authentication:
Includes a full letter of authenticity from JG Autographs, Inc.

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Reference sku: 11364 1416839-1