A posting on another forum got me thinking about mineral rights.
I have some general knowledge about how mineral rights are treated, but I also had a specific question about how to track down a mineral right interest.
Here’s the deal: I have some acreage in the country in Texas that I acquired a few years ago. I have half of the mineral rights on this property. The other half of the mineral rights were sold to a trustee in 1962.
Supposedly, the land was explored for oil and gas years ago, but nothing was ever found.
I don’t care about drilling on it myself, but I want to know how to recover the other half of the mineral rights from whomever owns them now. I don’t want the other mineral right owner(s) drilling on the land, which they can currently do if they want to explore it further.
How can I locate the other owners to see if they will sell back the old mineral right interest?
The address on the 1962 deed is no good. There have been no other conveyances of this interest recorded. I cannot locate the trustee on the deed from 1962.
Is there any other method to use that will prevent the other mineral right owners from exercising their rights to explore?
Thanks in advance for any advice or information!
Hey,
Valgolas:I think you made a typo. You said “I have some acreage in the country IN Texas.” Didn’t you mean, “I have some acreage in the country OF Texas?” LOL.
Back in the oil boom days people went around buying up the mineral rights and rights to lease to explore and drill. I own about 1/10 of the mineral rights on my 40 acres. The others are listed, as I remember, on the abstract but that is in the safety deposit box so I don’t have it in front of me. You will probably have to hire somebody to track down the other owner as people die and forget about this ownership. I understand that it can get to be quite a deal if they discover oil or natural gas and people start crawling out of the mesquite to get their share. I do believe that in time water rights will become very important especially if you live close to a metro area.
I also believe you haven’t much recourse if they want to develop thier part. However, since you have 50% you have a stronger position than I. There are lawyers who have made a career of mineral rights, etc. And there are guys who have made a career of buying up mineral leases, etc. It is a whole issue to itself. Good luck.
Peace,
Richard
Thanks for the reply, Richard!
Texas is a country. I just didn’t want to rub it in too much, if you know what I mean.
This reminds me of the truck driver who said that driving across Texas wasn’t a trip, it was a career.
It’s a big place, with a lot to see and experience.
I imagine that in forty-three years the ownership of that one-half mineral interest could have traveled far and wide. No telling how it might be distributed now if it was done with a will or with the passing of the beneficial interest in the trust. But there has been no other deed recorded which transfers the interest. I have already checked the title on this.
I have even hired an investigator and a skip tracer to try to find out what happened to the trustee and the trust. They turned up nothing after about 1966.
I wonder if I could do a quiet title suit to consolidate this mineral interest? I don’t know how this works in Texas. I guess that I might have to spend a little more money to find out.
I just wanted to keep the surface of this property undisturbed. I like it out there just the way it is.
But if they do come in and hit a good oil or gas discovery there, I could console myself with getting half of the lease payment and the royalty checks!