Links in a chain
Each document in a chain moves an interest from a grantor to a grantee. For the chain to hold, the grantee of one document must be the grantor of the next.
An examiner starts with the original grant, often a patent from the United States, and follows the names forward one document at a time.
The records also hold documents that do not belong in the chain: deeds from people who never owned the interest, or deeds covering other land. Following the names is how you tell them apart.
Ownership splits
Minerals are often divided. An owner can convey part of an interest, and at death an interest can pass to several heirs. Each split creates new lines in the chain.
Read each document for what fraction it moves. "1/2 of the minerals" and "1/2 of the grantor's interest" are different amounts when the grantor owns less than all.
The check: after every document, the owners' shares must still add up to 1. If they don't, something in the chain needs a closer look.
How a death moves an interest depends on the will, the probate court, and state law. In these examples a probate decree states who takes, and in what shares.
Who owns what
Work through the documents in order and track each owner's share. Write the fractions down as you go; that is what a runsheet or ownership schedule is for.
Answer as a fraction (like 3/8) or a decimal.
Multiply when a document moves part of someone's interest: 1/2 of a 1/4 interest is 1/8. Add when one person receives interests from more than one source.
Find the break
Each set of documents below has one problem. Click the document where the chain breaks.
Look for a grantor who does not own anything at that point, or a deed that moves more than the grantor owns.
Finding a break is where an examiner's work starts, not where it ends. The next step is usually a title requirement that asks for whatever will fix it, such as a missing deed, a probate, or a correction.