My sister and I have inherited mineral rights in Billings, McKenzie, and Burke Counties from our grandfather, passing through our grandmother and stepmother to us, that he acquired back in the 1950’s and early 1960’s. In some cases we have been successful in transferring ownership to us, but it has become clear that there are other mineral rights in North Dakota and other states where the deeds have been lost and we have not even been aware of minerals acquired by him 50-60 years ago. Some oil companies have been diligent in searching for and finding us as proper heirs - others not so much. My question is this:
How can I show the connection from my grandfather, who died in 1963, to my grandmother [d.1996] and then my stepmother [d.2011] to their current legal heirs, my sister and me? I live in Missouri and can’t visit all the Bakken counties to scour the books for my grandfather’s, grandmother’s or stepmother’s names on mineral rights. Is there some form of legal posting I can do to make such a connection visible to landmen? I have been told that I should create an Ancestry.com account linking us all. Has anyone tried that with success?
I just feel in my gut that there are mineral rights out there that are ours that I need to get control of so that my heirs don’t have this same problem down the road. Thanks for any help.