We are very new to this subject and recently began researching long held mineral rights in sections 2, 3 & 10 of 21N-14W. We are getting royalties from roughly 13 wells (3 different companies) out of nearly 25 that I have located. The 1200 +/- surface acres are owned by a single owner for all of it. How do we determine if our mineral rights extend beyond just the wells we appear to have.
You can do online research back to 1999 at https://okcountyrecords.com/search/major. Prior to that date may require a trip to the CourtHouse or hiring someone local to do the research.
Hi William,
When I visited Major County, they accepted credit cards, and most (not all) counties are willing to email you the index files over the phone if you give them a signed affidavit and copy of your driver’s license. When I pulled 10 index files from Major County for periods before 1999, I wound up paying about $25 per section on average (note: it would have been $70-100 to get the files through 2025, but you can ask the kind ladies to stop when they get to 1999).
So if you want to research this remotely by yourself, you could start by getting the Index File, which gives you a list of every transaction that got filed on that acreage, and then using the index file to find the mineral deed and the leases (if any) you’ve signed along with anything where your family is the grantor, like division orders. The index file tells you what’s there and where to find it, and then you often need an on-site visit to get the actual copies of the deeds and leases.
An independent imager/landman who lives in Fairview gave me his business card. I’m not sure I want to share phone numbers on a public forum and I’m not sure DMs are allowed on the forum, but there’s a guy in Fairview who can help you get the deeds and leases you’re looking for if it’s before 1999.
I think landman research rates approach $1000/day, but that’s like sending a guy out from Oklahoma City or Midland. If you find a local (and they do exist), come in prepared with a copy of the index file and know exactly what you want on it, including a book/page number, and you’re willing to wait a week or two, I have a feeling this comes in at 20-30% of that.