Recovering and/or Researching Heir Property

[Anastasia Jordan]

Anyone here have any experience with recovering or making a claim to their family's heir property?

I was doing some genealogy research and discovered that one of my ancestors had extensive land holdings throughout my hometown (and was always in court for some BS).  I connected with a distance cousin and all was going well and open....until I asked about the land and permission to have access to the deed records that he had copies of.  

He went slient, lol.  

This is in an area of Alabama where if I request a title search, folks will be calling my phone (and the mayor with his nosey self) asking what I'm looking for and why.  Trying to go about this without tipping off the "good ol boys".  Not that I care. My family is just so nosey.