I recently came across Affidavit of Heirship records for O& G on the Ritchie County online records. Named in the affidavit was my late grandfather and back two generations. I know the property that was owned by family now has active and producing wells. I am not sure if mineral rights are still in the family. Can someone tell me how to find out and what I should do next. My family left the area when I was a child.
Do you know the heirs of your grandfather? Have you looked for their names in the Ritchie records? Are the wells old ones or recent? Which company is the operator? Here is the database for county taxes Ritchie tax database See if you can find any familiar names.
Heirs of my grandfather would be my mother, her brothers and sisters. They are all deceased.Only one brother lived in Ritchie County.
The operator is Antero Resources and production just began recently.
I found ten affidavits from people all over the US. I don’t know any of them. I think they are the grandchildren of grandpas brothers and sisters. None of them are my first cousins. I will try searching the database for more information. I left the area at about eight years of age. I’m now in my 70’s. Thank you for your help.
If you think these wells are from a new lease, then the people who owned the rights (heirs of your great grandparent I guess) would have signed leases. Their names might be in the documents database. It is possible that there are old wells (at least one) on this property, holding the lease from long ago. For Antero to drill wells there would need to be (probably) a modification of the original lease, from all the heirs of the original signers of the lease. Your first question sounded like you have information that there are wells drilled. If you have a unit name for a well, or an API number (would look like : 47-085-1XXXX) I can tell you how to look for more information. Did your grandfather live in Ritchie county when he died? Do you know how to use the older records online (“Archive Browser” on the database menu WV documents site then select “Ritchie” ). It can be tricky to use. I have several ideas to pursue depending on circumstances.