Shelby County/Ann Gray survey/lease documents
I have recently been appointed managing trustee of my family's estate that consists of 160 acres in the Ann Gray survey in Shelby County. I am attempting to become knowledgeable about our royalty income and the prospective success of the Haynesville development so I have found this site very informative. I have read what thought to be most relevant and have multiple questions for discussion but am having difficulty getting a copy of a lease which I have been told expired several years ago. I have been to the Shelby County web site and phoned them directly to no avail. It is my understanding that the lease was executed around 2000-2002 with Cabot Oil but cross-referencing with the survey and the various possible estate and personal names has turned up nothing. I have read about bonuses, percentage royalties, filing of the release etc. but first must determine that status is clear. There has been no activity on the property other than the geophysical survey just finished. I would sincerely appreciate some guidance.
Tags: County/Ann, Gray, Shelby, documents, survey/lease
Views: 293
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by FXEF on
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Jane,
There is only one well in the A Gray A-241 survey, Hairgrove Gas Unit #1.
You may find this of interest:
Remarks on W-1 form.
Per Janis Skalnik, all of their leases (based on deeds dating back to the 1930's), Tobin Maps and their Survey company have identified this as Abstract 240. RRC mapping dept. researched this abstract on 12/9/04 and A-241 is correctly assigned per GLO records. 10/07/2008 09:03:16 AM RRC STAFF
GLO records indicate abstract number for this survey to be A-241. Shelby County deed records indicate abstract number for this survey to be A-240. RRC will accept either.
Attached is a a pdf with well info. - Attachments:
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hairgrove_gas_ unit.pdf, 3.4 MB
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Permalink Reply by MARG on
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Jane, is this the Ann Gray Survey in the Fellowship Community near FM 139 at Joaquin? If it is, I have had ancestors in it and cousins and I have a small interest in it. I am going to telephone a cousin in Florida, and I believe that he may be a second, third, (whatever) paternal cousin of yours. If so, he may be able to assist you; however, think that he inherited his part from his mother. If this is at Joaquin, they are just now testing the shale; however, the area has been on the shale maps, it is believed to be there and they have gone past there to see how far it goes, it seems, etc. Also, most people there are HPD'd. If you have names of some of the wells, you are in, please name one and I might could help you or put you in touch as I most likely know almost everyone in them. The Ann Gray is in several units, I think. I will check stubs etc. If you will ask on this website to be my friend, I can probably put you in touch with a Burgess Cousin who could help you. These wells, as others, have merged, been farmed out, been sold, etc. LOL We have gone through many changes through the years.
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Permalink Reply by DJG on
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Jane,
Do you have the survey number for your plot? There are actually two seperate A.Gray surveys in Shelby County.
A-241/Ann Gray is in the NW/Central region of the county between Timpson and Center.
A-240/A.Gray is in the NE region of the county, just South of that Joaquin and Logansport area.
Our own minerals are in the adjacent survey to the A-241, so if that is the one for your own holding then I can tell you that Devon has most of that region leased up - although there are a few leases to Chesapeake also in that survey.
Haven't followed that Joaquin/Logansport area as closely, but it does seem that Goodrich has had some recent drilling activity near that region.
Good luck with your prospects.
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Permalink Reply by Jane Burgess Philipp on
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We have a lead to follow up in Center later today and will report back tonight. Hopefully this lead will trigger the need to continue this topic and generate more questions. I appreciate your help and advice.
Thank you - Jane
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Permalink Reply by MARG on
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Jane, the Ann Gray at Joaquin has been with several operators. Presently, it is with Classic or XTO, but until recently (last month), it was with KCS who became Petrohawk. My Burgess Cousin does not know a Jane, but I know where two families were there. My Sunday School teacher was Ed Burgess who had a large family. If Cabot really had it, it must have been at Timpson as we have had El Paso, Hunt, Key, Maximus, Grand Energy, Classic, etc. and it has been leased for many years and would have been HBP. Also, I only knew of two Burgess families in Shelby and they were relatives.
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Permalink Reply by Sarah on
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I hope you were succesful in finding what you needed. I wanted to say welcome to GHS. :) There are many knowledgable people here who like to help out when they can.
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Permalink Reply by Jane Burgess Philipp on
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As managing trustee, I have fiduciary responsibility to eleven sets of heirs. The Hayneville discovery and development has piqued their interest of future possibilities. My first step was to determine the status of the land - was it under lease or not? - with what company? - what were the terms? What I thought would be a simple task has been complicated. A person with access to industry information showed a lease signed between E.T. Burgess Estate and Cabot Oil on January 2000 on an appraisal district site out of Austin, although no copies were available. Yesterday I went to the appraisal district in Center and was told that they maintained only leases on land currently under production, but that the county office would have a copy. I spent about an hour with a knowledgeable clerk trying every possible combination of Burgess and Cabot with no results. Two other points - there has never been a well on the land but we receive section royalties and we are in A-241 Ann Gray but that is the one near Joaquin/Logansport.
With that background information, I have some questions:
Is it safe to assume that the land is unleased, since no document is on file? or is there some consultant that could verify?
Is it possible that Cabot purchased a company or flipper that had the original lease? The information at the appraisal district showed three years so mavbe that is irrelevant?
Should I go to Cabot for an official release and copy of the lease or is there some technicality that would make the 2000 lease valid because it was never formally filed?
Some of the older heirs have been under the impression that leases signed back in the 1930's are still binding - is that even possible with no drilling?
I am trying to develop a future plan for the trust but can't get through the first step so any advice would be welcomed
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Permalink Reply by DJG on
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Shelby County Clerks office has a fantastic (and free) website at:
http://cc.co.shelby.tx.us/
You can search property records all the way back into the 1800's at this point. I suggest you poke around there a bit and see what info you might find regarding your ancestors names who originally had the property.
You can search for Warranty Deeds, Oil & Gas, and every other type of transaction that might have occured regarding your ancestors property.
The searching is free and if you want to order copies you can talk with the clerks office and they can print/mail them to you for a fee.
That resource proved to be invaluable while researching my own families interests.
Good luck.
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Permalink Reply by Jane Burgess Philipp on
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The County Clerks office is where we spent about an hour yesterday. We were looking for something current since most leases are 3-5 years as long as there is no well or production. We also checked under Cabot Oil since we had that other lead. All that turned up were leases back in the 1930's and one in 1949 for a portion of the acreage. That one (1949) was for ten years or as long as there was "production on said land or unitized area thereunder". What qualifies as "unitized area"?
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Permalink Reply by The_Baron on -
Since you represent such a large group, and since you obviously take your position as trustee very seriously, I would recomend hiring a landman who can provide you with a detailed mineral history.
If there is a current lease/production (forgive me i have only loosly followed this discusion and am just wading on in...) , you may be able to obtain much of your info from the landman who previously leased the land or the operator who surely has done a division order and/or title opinion.
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Permalink Reply by Jane Burgess Philipp on
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Baron - That is the crux of the problem. We cannot find a current lease on any records and there has never been production on our land but we do receive royalties from wells in our section from Classic. Would Classic be able to help? The most recent lease we can find is the one mentioned above in 1949 for 56 of the 163 acres so any previous landman is probably no longer around. I am not adverse to hiring a landman or other type of consultant as long as my inexperience in these matters isn't the only reason I can't get the answers. It is frustrating! For example, we are in the Ann Gray survey near Joaquin/Logansport. One county agency told us we were in A-240 and another said A-241. I am still questioning what qualifies as "unitized area".
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Permalink Reply by FXEF on
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Jane,
Like Baron said, you need a landman, especially in regards to the A-240 & A-241 situation.
If you are receiving royalties, some or all of your land is under a lease... they are not sending you a check just to be nice. You do not have to have a well on the surface of your land for your land to be under production.
An "unitized area" would be several tracts pooled together to form a unit.
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