Hi there. My Sister & I are looking for some help. When we were young children our Father died. After his death we received two small checks for mineral rights in North Dakota & then nothing after that. My Mother remarried & we moved to Oregon. From what I understand Our Aunts & Uncles are still receiving money for mineral rights but, have not shared money or information with My Sister & I. I sent two of Our Aunts letters recently asking about the Mineral Rights & received no reply. I really have no clue where to even start. I know that it was inherited from my Great Grandmother & the last name is Engelstad. I believe the land is in Ward county but, I'm not 100% sure. Any help would be greatly appreciated!!
Kimberly:
You need to do some research back to your father's death as the minerals could be part of your mother's inheritance and she still has the minerals in her name. Do you communicate with your mother? Do you have a copy of your father's will? These questions will hold an important key to begin your quest for an answer. Ward County, ND has seen some oil and gas activity over the past several years, especially in mineral leasing. I would begin to research this immediately in order to learn if you and your sister were party to the mineral rights.
Hi Charles,
Thank you for your reply. My Father did not leave a will. My Mother doesn't know anything about the Mineral Rights. The only reason I know about them at all is because of the checks my Sister & received after his death. Also because a cousin contacted me & told me that her Mother was receiving money & when she asked if My Sister & I were getting our Dad's share she was told to keep her mouth shut. Which makes me think that My Fathers Family has been keeping this from us all these years.
Since my Father didn't leave a will & his family seems to be very closed mouth about the whole thing I am wondering where to start. My Mother believes the land is close to Minot which is why I say Ward county. I'm not 100% certain of this. My Father has been dead for 36 years & I have no clue if the mineral rights are even still in his name.
Is there a way that I can contact Ward county & find out what Mineral right if any are in his name? Is this possible Via the internet?
Thank you for your help.
The fact that no one in your dad's family wants to talk about the payments leads me to believe that they know something is fishy.
There are folks on these forums that know how to get information and hopefully someone will chime in here. I wish I could help you but I'm in TX and here, property records for `almost` every county are online. Don't know if the same is true for ND.
If you cannot find the property records online, then use the net and get the courthouse number. Good luck to you.
And don't give up.
Ms. Advent, the online records in ND only go back 30 years at most. Your fathers records are unlikely to appear there but your fathers side of the family will if they leased minerals in the last 20 years or so. Search your fathers last name in each township you think it most likely the minerals will be. Do not specify the document because death certificates, proof of death and heirship, probates, statements of claim, mineral deeds and leases will be what you are looking for to lead you to the documents you want and it's too easy to miss something if you concentrate on a single type of document. The NDRIN, North Dakota Recorders Information Network charges $25 a month and they accept credit cards. It's an outside chance, but I would also check unclaimed property with the state of ND. I wish you the very best of luck.
If I understand that you lived in North Dakota when your father died (and he lived and died there), you should find the laws of intestate succession (heirship) in North Dakota. Different states have different laws. That would tell you who inherited. You probably can find this out online. Perhaps someone at the courthouse in the county where the land is can help with this. The state I am familiar with has someone on staff who handles these things.
It might be some work to get this sorted out, but probably well worth it.
Kimberly:
You may have to have someone research the court house records or do it yourself. In your case, I would consult an attorney in regards to the laws in ND. Since there was no will, each State has different ways of handling this matter. It would save time to check this out first before researching records.
Kimberly Advent said:
Hi Charles,
Thank you for your reply. My Father did not leave a will. My Mother doesn't know anything about the Mineral Rights. The only reason I know about them at all is because of the checks my Sister & received after his death. Also because a cousin contacted me & told me that her Mother was receiving money & when she asked if My Sister & I were getting our Dad's share she was told to keep her mouth shut. Which makes me think that My Fathers Family has been keeping this from us all these years.
Since my Father didn't leave a will & his family seems to be very closed mouth about the whole thing I am wondering where to start. My Mother believes the land is close to Minot which is why I say Ward county. I'm not 100% certain of this. My Father has been dead for 36 years & I have no clue if the mineral rights are even still in his name.
Is there a way that I can contact Ward county & find out what Mineral right if any are in his name? Is this possible Via the internet?
Thank you for your help.
I wonder if the small payments you two received way back when may have been for the sale of your interest? Do you remember whom the payment was from? Was it an specific oil company, a family member, any individual, or an attorney? If it was not a sale this might provide an avenue for additional information.
Unfortunately if your family is unable or unwilling to help, the only way to actually resolve this is via a title search in the courthouse. Being uncertain of the county it may require checking more than one though you should start with Ward Co. This would require hiring someone (a landman or an attorney) in North Dakota.
I live in TX, so the laws are different, but I would search on line first. Then I would look for probabte record of his property which should included his minerals and any county you think he may have lived or own things.
Do you remember what company you got the checks from. They may be able to see what well or County his minerals were in. Also, check unclaimed funds in your state. If the oil company can't find the person whom owns minerals and a well is producing, it sometimes goes into unclaimed funds.
My name is Tom and I am now a landman and mineral manager in Oklahoma. A very similar situation happened w/ my father and our family. If you would like advice feel free to contact me at 918-633-3525
Kimberly Advent said:
Hi Charles,
Thank you for your reply. My Father did not leave a will. My Mother doesn't know anything about the Mineral Rights. The only reason I know about them at all is because of the checks my Sister & received after his death. Also because a cousin contacted me & told me that her Mother was receiving money & when she asked if My Sister & I were getting our Dad's share she was told to keep her mouth shut. Which makes me think that My Fathers Family has been keeping this from us all these years.
Since my Father didn't leave a will & his family seems to be very closed mouth about the whole thing I am wondering where to start. My Mother believes the land is close to Minot which is why I say Ward county. I'm not 100% certain of this. My Father has been dead for 36 years & I have no clue if the mineral rights are even still in his name.
Is there a way that I can contact Ward county & find out what Mineral right if any are in his name? Is this possible Via the internet?
Thank you for your help.