ThankYou, Laura! You have put my mind to rest. That was my main concern. Why would they want to stir the pot, after they had the lease in hand. They told me (after they got the lease) that they wouldn't pay the royalty on a well until the mineral rights were probated. Then I found out that they had contacted some unconnected person. I couldn't figure out why they would do that, unless there were some advantage to confusing the probate. But, that didn't even make sense because they would have to put the royalty $$ into a State trust anyway. So, there couldn't be any savings advantage for them there.
So, I'm not so concerned now and will just get it probated. Thanks again.
Sharon
Laura Reagan said:
Sharon, the very best thing you can do is contact the landman and ask him or her. More than likely you will find out that you own an interest with those relatives of the person you inherited from. Mineral estates get passed down through the generations. A landman sometimes contacts 15-20 separate family members in getting a lease on a parcel of land. For example: Company A is leasing minerals under a 640 acre tract. You might own 20 acres out of that 640 acres and other relatives and non-relatives own similar interests under the same tract. But a simple phone call will put your mind at ease. The last thing a landman wants to do is muddy the waters on a lease he just paid for. So, to put your mind at ease, give him a call. I hope this helps and I hope you get a great well out of this!!!