How would I go about locating surviving life tenants in SE/4 of Section 9, Township 20 North, Range 4 West Indian Meridian located in Garfield County, Oklahoma. This is on the Ricks #1 Well that is producing. Currently B.R. Polk is the operator.
The Garfield County courthouse is the repository for all official documents regarding title. You can go to the courthouse and get the clerk to help you look through the abstracts or you can hire a landman to do it.
Ricks #1 (API 35-047-20387) was plugged in 1968. Do you mean Ricks #2 (Loomis #1A)? It is the only one online in the SE4 now. You could also contact the operator to see what the particular title opinion says, but don’t be surprised if they will not give it to you unless you are a legitimate heir.
Yes,I am the owner of the aforementioned 1/4 section. I will contact the operator and see what I can find with them as well as the Garfield Co. Court House.
Thank you for your time and information.
Jeffrey R. Brown
You can search some Garfield County Land Records Here: Welcome to the Garfield County Clerk’s Official Site (gcclerk.org)
Typically, a life tenant is created by a deed whereby the grantor reserves a life estate. Once the grantor dies the property belongs to the grantee. However, to clear title the grantee needs to provide an affidavit and official death certificate. Life estates tend to be rather clumsy estate planning tools especially where minerals are involved.
You could examine all the deeds in that quarter section to find out who was granted a life estate, but whether or not others had an interest should not affect your interest. The deeds might or might not have and address for the remainderman.
This post is not legal, tax or investment advice. Reading or responding to this post does not create an attorney/client relationship.
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