How to stop being a lifelong dependent on a deceased loved one?

I’m using my husband's account to post about a situation that is honestly driving me crazy.
I’ve owned my house here in Washington, D.C. for ten years now. When the previous owner sold it to me, there were two legal encumbrances on the property that they just didn't have time to clear out before the sale. I bought the place outright in cash. Now, I'm getting ready to put the house on the market, and this is becoming a massive headache.
The first issue is a life estate agreement dating all the way back to 1925, involving a widow who had the right to live in part of the house for life. I don't have her death certificate, and when I checked with the county recorder's office, they told me I absolutely need to produce her official death certificate to clear the title.
Naturally, when I went to the local municipal records office, they told me they won't just hand over that kind of data to me.
The second issue is another life estate—this one belonged to the former owner's father, who passed away back in 2006 while he was living in Chicago, Germany—he was an immigrant.
What am I supposed to do here? Who do I actually need to talk to to fix this, is it going to cost me a fortune, and how long is this whole nightmare going to take?
Thanks in advance for any help. Anne

Does nobody here have a clue?
Who am I even supposed to ask?
I’m seriously weighing my options right now—maybe I should just reach out to a notary or hit up a local real estate agency instead.

Just left the municipal clerk's office. They’ve got both death certificates on file—including the one for the guy over in Germany. Unbelievable... just incredible.
All I need to do now is bring in the property deed and this whole thing is officially wrapped up.

Alright, sweet!

Personally, when I was buying my place, I put down the deposit only after getting a written guarantee from the sellers that they’d clear all the liens—plus a clause stating they'd have to pay back double the deposit if everything fell through...

It took him about six months to get his act together, but hey, that was his headache, not mine...

The lawyer ended up costing me maybe two or three grand—that covered the contract prep and the final closing...

To clear those types of encumbrances from a property, you just need to take a death certificate to the local county clerk's office where the person was registered. Just make sure all the details match what’s currently on the deed.
Has the court already processed the removal?