Read your own deed
Anatomy of a mineral deed
Take apart a sample mineral deed, clause by clause. Tap a part to lift it off the page and see what to check on your own deed, from who signed it to where the clerk recorded it.
The deed in the figure is made up: no real names, land or records. Real deeds vary in order and wording; the parts are the same.
The parts, in the order they appear
Grantor
Is the grantor the person who owned the minerals, named the way they took title?
The person or company conveying the interest. On an old family deed it is often a grandparent, an estate or a group of heirs signing together.
What to check in the grantorConsideration
Was this a sale, a gift or an estate distribution, and is any lien kept?
The recital of what was given for the interest. Most deeds say "ten dollars and other good and valuable consideration", not the real amount.
What to check in the considerationGranting clause
Do the granting words convey the interest, or only quitclaim it?
The words that do the conveying: "grant, sell and convey". A quitclaim passes only whatever the grantor had, if anything.
What to check in the granting clauseGrantee
Is the grantee named clearly enough to follow forward in the records?
The person or company receiving the interest. To follow the minerals forward, you search this name next.
What to check in the granteeInterest conveyed
Is this half the minerals, or half the royalty, and half of what?
What actually passes: a share of the minerals or a share of the royalty, and the fraction of what. The most misread paragraph in a mineral deed.
What to check in the interest conveyedLegal description
Does the legal description match the tract you think the family owns?
Where the land is: county, survey and abstract, acres, and the calls or a reference to an earlier deed. Every other part of the deed applies only to this land.
What to check in the legal descriptionReservations and exceptions
Did the grantor keep part of the minerals, or was part already owned by someone else?
What the deed holds back. A reservation keeps something for the grantor; an exception leaves out something someone else already owned.
What to check in the reservations and exceptionsExisting lease clause
Does the deed say who receives the royalty and rentals under a lease already in place?
When the land is already leased, the deed says the grantee takes subject to that lease and whether the grantee receives its share of the payments under it.
What to check in the existing lease clauseWarranty
Did the grantor promise to defend the title, and against whom?
The grantor's promise about title: general warranty, special warranty, or none at all.
What to check in the warrantySignature and acknowledgment
Did every grantor sign, and was each signature acknowledged before a notary?
The grantors' signatures and the notary's certificate that each one appeared and acknowledged signing. The acknowledgment is what lets the deed be recorded.
What to check in the signature and acknowledgmentRecording stamp
Where is it recorded (volume and page, or instrument number), and on what date?
The county clerk's stamp or label: filing date and time, the volume and page or instrument number, and the county. It is how you cite and find the deed.
What to check in the recording stamp
Common questions
We are landmen, not attorneys. This page explains how mineral deeds are usually read. What your deed means can turn on its exact words and on Texas law, and a title opinion comes from an attorney.
Want us to read yours?
Tell us what your deed says and what you want to know. We can read the deed and explain what it conveys, or pull the chain of title in the county records and show how the interest reached you. We read every request and can reply by email.
For a lease, a division order or a check you cannot read, Landman Help works for owners. For a full runsheet or title packet, Landman Services runs the county records.