Heirship Researcher

Are you a detail-oriented professional with experience in title research, genealogy, or land records? Do you thrive in investigative work that requires precision, persistence, and an understanding of property law? We are seeking Heirship Researchers to support our title and leasing teams in the Morgantown, Charleston, WV, and Canonsburg, PA areas. This role is critical in verifying ownership of mineral rights and locating heirs for curative and leasing purposes.

If you have at least two years of experience in title abstracting, probate research, genealogy, or oil and gas heirship research—and you enjoy solving complex ownership puzzles through courthouse records, online tools, and direct outreach—we encourage you to apply.

Job Description

As a Heirship Researcher, your primary responsibility will be tracing ownership of mineral interests through probate, intestacy, and conveyance records. This includes locating heirs, identifying missing links in the chain of title, and preparing documentation to support lease acquisition or title curative work. You will work closely with title attorneys, landmen, and leasing teams to resolve ownership issues and ensure the accuracy of mineral title chains.

This role is ideal for someone who is analytical, research-focused, and comfortable navigating public records, genealogy tools, and probate documentation.

Compensation: Competitive, based on experience

Location: Remote, with some in-person courthouse research in Morgantown, Charleston, WV, and Canonsburg, PA areas

Start Date: TBD

Responsibilities

• Conduct detailed research of public records, probate files, and land documents to identify mineral interest owners and heirs.
• Trace title through intestate and testate successions using courthouse records, online databases, and genealogy tools.
• Analyze and interpret legal documents such as deeds, wills, affidavits of heirship, and estate records.
• Prepare comprehensive heirship reports and ownership charts for use in lease acquisition and title curative.
• Coordinate with landmen, attorneys, and title teams to resolve gaps in title or ownership disputes.
• Maintain organized and accurate documentation of research findings using internal systems.
• Ensure all research is compliant with applicable laws, title standards, and internal quality controls.

Preferred Qualifications

• Minimum 2 years of experience in title abstracting, genealogy, probate research, or oil and gas heirship work.
• Strong understanding of mineral rights, chain of title, and intestate succession (especially under WV and PA law).
• Excellent research and analytical skills with high attention to detail and accuracy.
• Ability to interpret complex legal documents and summarize findings clearly.
• Familiarity with genealogy and land record tools (e.g., Ancestry, FamilySearch, etc.).
• Experience with land systems, CRM platforms, or document management tools is a plus.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Excel, Word) or Google Workspace (Sheets, Docs).

Company Description

Purple Land Management, LLC (“Purple”) is one of the nation’s largest tech-enabled providers of land services that negotiates the buying, selling, and leasing of energy rights, determines and cures title, prepares mineral ownership reports, and performs other related services required for all types of energy companies.  Overdrive, Purple’s proprietary software-as-a-service (“SaaS”), allows customers to track lease, well, and contract data in a web-based geographic information system (“GIS”) mapping platform powered by ESRI, a leader in GIS mapping software.  Based in Fort Worth, Texas, and founded in 2010, Purple has the financial support of Satori Capital, a Texas-based multi-strategy investment firm founded upon the principles of conscious capitalism.  Satori’s private equity business partners with leadership teams of companies that operate with a long-term perspective, commit to their mission, and create value for all stakeholders.