I had made a post back in April not knowing much, but a reply to my post help a lot and I have been doing some digging for more information. I found out my great-great grandmother passed down these mineral rights of 51.12500 acres and I think just about everyone in my family has been signing them away. It’s approx. 0.79883 net acres. I have looked up the deed but really don’t fully understand how that comes down to my mother legally? I guess my question is, are there papers that we should have showing these rights? It’s sad we never knew anything about this until Antero came to us and I was thinking it was a scam. It may not be a lot of net acres, but we refuse to sell it and I’m not sure if I need to send this letter back stating that? Just so many questions.
My two brothers and I have received lots of offers to buy our mineral interests over the last 15 years, and we’ve never replied to any of them. We figure, if all these different companies want to buy our tiny little crumbs of the pie, they must know something we don’t and they’re not telling. Now, things are heating up on those properties and plans are underway to start drilling new wells over 25,000 feet deep. For any companies to invest THAT much money they must be expecting huge returns! We’re hoping our little crumbs might actually pay off. Still not selling…
Get familiar with the WV GIS map so that you can see where wells are located and new ones about to be drilled. TIm Dowd just posted a good answer to a WV question similar to yours about how to look up probates and trace the acreage back. A probate can also act as a title instrument that passed acreage to your mother. Offers to buy usually come before drilling.
Thank you! My other question is, they sent my mother a W-9 and want her signature and her social security number to update her contact address. Is this something she should be doing if she’s not selling? My parents moved from Florida back to Ohio and this Antero Landman is asking for this info. Is this normal?
I will only give my W-9 with a lease or with a Division Order or letter in lieu of Division order-just contracts. Not if I am not selling. Ask him why he wants it and in what context. You can update her contact information with the agent, but not give the W-9.
My mother, apparently, signed a lease back in 2022 it looks like. They told her they were “looking for minerals”. And I don’t think she knew exactly what this was about because I’m the one who found out this was through her Great Grandmother after digging through my father’s family tree work he has done. So it would be ok for me and her to reach out to the landman and give him this information? So, if they did a lease in 2022, and are now asking to purchase our rights…they obviously found something?
Also, when she sends that W-9, can we just tell him we’re not selling? Because in the same letter is an offer to buy the rights. Just trying to do this correctly.
Ask him why he wants a W-9 and if it goes with a Division order and if so for what well(s). If so, ask him for a copy of the lease and see if it is the same one as the one you know about. Personally, I would deal with the Division Order department. Land men do not usually ask for W-9s, so I have a bit of a red flag waving.
Use the map I gave you in the other post and see if there is already production on your acreage.
I have been looking at the map to see if there is a well and it’s difficult for me to figure out. I am using the legal name for the property and I have the District-tax map-parcel number but don’t see anything. I see lines going through, but no listed wells. I see a dot with a number and that is a permit it shows but no well. And that permit number I see isn’t listed under Antero.
Where do I find contact info for the Division Order Department?
Go online for the operator and see if the Division Order department or the royalty owner department is listed.
While you are at it, check www.missingmoney.com for anything under our mom’s (or other relatives’ names). The state may be holding funds.
Nothing in her name being held money wise, but something from a Dr showed up for me that they owed me. Very surprising! I also looked up the other families that had sold their rights and I don’t see anything. For the “operater”, that would be Antero, correct?
I found their Owner Relations page with email, change of address form, etc.
Could be any operator, just depends upon your acreage. If most of your land man contacts have been with them, start there.
Thank you for all the help!
Our acreage is across the border in Ohio. A couple notes to add to M_Barnes:
Ohio has a map viewer (ARC GIS) but we found that the latest upgrade of it won’t run on our Chrome Browser, we had to switch to Safari (we have Apple), and it ran. I. just looked at WV’s map, same thing. These maps imbed a lot of very useful data on your wells, your uitization, production, land borders, etc. Worth learning how to navigate.
We had a series of deeds running back to the early 1900’s with evolving ownership and transfers. And several leases over that time frame. Our county (Guernsey, Ohio) has digitized deeds so you can actually trace them back to establish legal ownership. Leases as well, so you can trace land/mineral rights surveys, borders, and acreages. You check if your county has digitized its deeds, affidavits, leases, etc.
The Ohio DNR, and probably WV, will have a repository of Unitization Hearings, Division Orders, Maps, etc. that are an absolute wealth if information! Hopefully WV has such a database! See if you can find a repository. We feel your pain! It gets complicated, but there are resources to help!
Lastly, to confirm, don’t send any W-9 info unless it is directly in response to your O/G company (we are INR) corresponding with you after a Division Order is approved and production is scheduled to start. We’ve gotten literally dozens of letters and calls from third parties wanting us to sell to them…actually a good sign, but don’t even think about sending them a W-9!!
Same with me. I had no idea i owned minerals and royalties in Anderson county Texas, until an operating company offered proposals to purchase. My sibling and cousin sold. I kept mine. It was inherited from my grandmother’s sister. The amount they offered wasnt enough for the amount of oil and gas production in and around the county. Also, a 16b gas hub will be built in this county. Comstock and NextEra energy will be involved. The beginning of the plans are next year. It is part of the 550m deal between Japan and America who is involved.
I don’t respond to those letters that want to buy my mineral rights. My portions are very small and I look at these rights as a family heirlooms. Always check with a knowledgable attorney for correct information.
My great-great grandmother Clara Montgomery-Shuman purchased the 51 acres of land and mineral rights in 1899 for $850 from Samuel Furbee, which is an uncle or some family member. I wish I knew this much sooner. I would of purchased other family members rights that ended up selling. We knew nothing of this until Antero reached out to buy it. The landman sent a W-9 so I reached out to owner relations to see what is going on and to make sure mom’s contact address is correct with them.
I am new at trying to navigate this forum. I am having a little trouble trying to post a question. Please bare with me if I am posting in the wrong area.
I have several acres in Fisher County; block 20, sections 17, 8. Parcels 22530/2, 22531/2, 22532/2, 22533/2, and 22534/2. I have had a lease on 160 acres for two years for a horizontal drill. A seismic survey was conducted on the property last December. Supposedly they are looking at three possible areas for drilling.
Has anyone had or heard of any drilling permits or activity in Fisher and possibly north Nolan Counties?
Thank you,
Patricia
No permits on your acreage yet. I see a horizontal permit to the east about two miles away. Cholla Petroleum Bull 10-10 1H.
Northern Nolan county has a whole line of permits near highway 84.