[A/S] Obtaining A Missing Title

["Harvey Barlow" <harveybarlow@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Kellie,

A copy of the death certificate of the joint owner, which is a public record
under normal circumstances, and which you should be able to obtain by simply
paying a small fee to the county clerk's office, would probably help but may
not be sufficient.  If you live in a small town or your county has an
outlying tax assessor/collector's office in a small town in the county, you
may be able to talk your way through the problem.

I traded my labor to install a metal barn-type roof on an old farm house
last summer for a serviceable '66 Safari 22'.  The trailer had been owned by
the deceased brother of the farmer I was dealing with.  My farmer's wife
happened to work in a county office adjacent to the small satellite office
of the County Tax Assessor/Collector.  She went in and explained and my
title application was processed like no questions existed.  The clerk even
suggested that I say it was a gift and pay a bare minimum sales tax instead
of valuing my labor and or the trailer as the actual value that changed
hands.  Very helpful!  A considerable amount of discretion resides in the
county clerk's office and the way they choose to deal with the challenge can
sometimes depend on how you smile, greet the clerk, and the skill of your
explanation.

Good luck.  It will work out.

Harvey