Inherited Mineral Rights in Kentucky

[hmayberry]

Several years ago, my father received a call regarding mineral rights somewhere in Kentucky. I was still very young during this time, so some of the exact details are unknown, as my father has now passed.

He was told that a woman in his family: either a grandmother, great-grandmother, or great-great-grandmother had owned mineral rights in Kentucky and that he was the last heir to those rights. I could track down some of those women and the cities they had lived in. However, I’m having a hard time getting in contact with someone who would be able to help me get some information about these mineral rights.

Now, he had called some office in Kentucky to confirm whether this call was a scam or not. They looked into it and confirmed his claim to the mineral rights. Since I was a child, I wasn’t made aware of the fine details.

The reason my father received this call in the first place was because some company was curious as to if the land was rich in oil. This took place sometime between 2013-2018. With 2023 approaching, I would like to receive an update on this curiosity of the company and clarify what exactly is going on.

If anyone would be able to give me advice in this field or help me figure out a way to get in contact with someone who would have the mineral rights information. Again, I’m not exactly 100% sure where in Kentucky this would be located besides the birth/death places of those women I have found. Two possible locations would be Morganfield, Kentucky, or Union, Kentucky.

[LSM]

You could go to the county clerk’s websites for those areas and search either your father’s last name or any other relative’s last name. If there are mineral deeds or overriding royalty interests, they will show up. If there is something that you are entitled to, you would need to prove that you would be the person who inherits it, produce a death certificate, and you can transfer ownership to you. I wrote all of my deeds myself and my dad signed them. We had them notarized and sent them to the counties necessary. It may be a little more difficult if your dad didn’t move it into his name, but it can be done. You may just need to pay a probate lawyer in Kentucky for a few hours of time to get everything straightened out.

The first place I would look is the county clerk’s sites and maybe unclaimed checks in KY, through the state treasurer’s office to see if there are any unclaimed checks, that may give you an exact area of where the rights are.

Good luck!!