Hello, I need help! I was told last week by my father that my grandparents owned a farm in Northwest ND. He said that they lived there until (he thinks) 1952. He told me all he can remember is it was outside the town of Bowbells. He then told me that they severed the Mineral rights when they sold this farm. He told me that he knew that they still owned these rights when my grandfather passed away in the mid 1980's. My grandmother passed away in 2005 and nothing was ever mentioned about these. Her grandchildren inherited everything. So my dad was asking what we did with these mineral rights. None of us know anything about them. So my question is... How do we find out? We are not even sure of the legal discription of the land. I am assuming that it is located in Burke County. As far as my dad and two aunts know my grandmother never sold these rights. Any help or direction anyone can provide would be great!
I presume that you have checked wills/probates if there are any. If you have no records you would probably have to hire a landman in ND, or go there yourselves and check the records at the county courthouse. Hiring a landman may be cheaper. If you find that you still own the minerals (the surface owner hasn't reclaimed them yet) file a statement of claim as fast as you can. The bar is set pretty low, in my opinion, for the surface owner to claim the minerals as abandoned. If you knew the legal description, you could probably search the North Dakota Recorders Information Network for a $25 subscription, to see if anyone has claimed your minerals.
is this true for texas also that they can claim them as abandoned
The law is much differen't in the state of Tx. I believe it is much harder to lose your severed minerals in the state of Tx. I'm sure this has been addressed by the professionals on this forum, I hazily recall the discussion which I believe started out as a salt water disposal well or pore space thread. Possibly started by Jeff Bullard? A simple search should turn up the information you are seeking. I haven't put a great deal of study into the laws of Tx concerning this as I no longer own minerals in Tx. Better that you get your information on this from the pros.
nancy peterson said:
is this true for texas also that they can claim them as abandoned