We recently found out that we have rights in Tyler County, but they’re asking for the description which we don’t have. What is the best way to find the description?
How did you find that you have rights? Who told you? If it is a landman, he might have more information. There is a long complicated way to work this out but you would need to know your family history back a few generations.
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The best way would depend on what information you do have. I’d start with a Grantee search for any family members names associated with it. A Grantor search might also provide any leases or other conveyances that those family members have done.
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Good idea, but the poster needs to know, for example, which side of the family might have been the original owner. And remember Land Grants which might be the original source. If the minerals have been severed, as this sounds like, the deed severing them is very important. The Land Books could be helpful too. (Tyler has them online unlike some counties). And remember the poster might not know how to find the Tyler County documents website. This, as I said, is complicated. But possible!
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Tyler County WV’s land records are online. YOu may have to sign up for the service. I don’t remember whether I did initially or not. IDX Search Tyler County
If the above doesn’t work, go to a google search for Tyler county Wv IDX. Then when you get to the search page, you will need to put in your ancestor’s name to determine if there is a deed in their name, or they leased their interest some time. That document can be viewed for free. copies are $1 per page.
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I believe the online site which you kindly provided the link to only has a regular index search going back to around 1997 or 1998 except for a few things like births and marriages. For earlier records, you need to go to the Vault indexes. Scroll through the left hand side drop down menu to “Grantor Index to Deeds” or “Grantee Index to Deeds”. Grantor is the one giving something to the other party (the seller or leasor). Grantee is the one receiving (the buyer or lessee). From the Middle drop-down, select the first letter of the name you are searching. The “S” entries are at the bottom, divided into 2 sections. Then go to the right hand drop down. Some letters have several pages at the beginning, starting with 0 then 0-001 etc. The last one is corporate entries. If you see a separate listing for a particular name, go the the number listed for that name and start searching. The left hand column is the date the deed is recorded. The next column is the last name. The next 3 are for first names, divided by parts of the alphabet.The next is Grantees (for the Grantor index, reversed for the Grantee index). Then are columns for the book number, page number where the document starts, then the type of document, then a description.
If the name being searched does not have its separate set of pages, you find a page for a range of names for parts of the alphabet. Once you find something that might work (might be an ancestor for example) then go to the Image Search back on the main page. Select the type of book (Deed includes oil and gas leases), the book and page you found in the index listing. Then look at your document. There is some more to this but this is the basic set of information needed to start searching. There might not be a deed to your ancestor, if he came to Tyler county early enough. He might have a Land Grant from the Governor of Virginia. That is a whole separate thing to look through. But Tyler has a lot of early documents. If you have questions, you can ask and I or someone else might be able to help. Don’t forget Will books. That has its own set of ways to search. And if people died without a will, there might be other kinds of records, if you are getting stuck. But to find where your ancestor had a property and sold the surface, retaining all or part of the oil and gas, this should be a good way to find things. Start with the Grantor book for this kind of search.
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