What Happens to Family Minerals After You're Gone
Most mineral interests don't survive three generations intact. Not because the oil runs out, but because the ownership falls apart.
When minerals pass through a will, every heir gets a piece. A 160-acre interest becomes six owners, then eighteen, then fifty. Nobody is in charge. Leases sit unsigned because the operator can't find everyone. Royalty checks go unclaimed. Records are lost in a move. And sooner or later, one heir takes the first cash offer from a buyer who knows exactly what the minerals are worth, and that piece of the family's land is gone forever.
You spent a lifetime holding on to these minerals. The question is who holds on to them after you.