“If It Wasn’t for Joan Schiebout, I Might Not Be Writing Today”

📚 How a Simple Question Sparked a Lifetime of Stories

My cousin Joan Schiebout is the reason I ever got into family history in the first place. It all started when her daughter, Patricia, asked one simple question:

“How am I related to them?”

And just like that, Joan was off and running.

📝 The Original Family Historian

Back in those days—this was the 1970s, mind you—research wasn’t as easy as typing a name into Google. Joan had to write letters to courthouse record offices back east, wait weeks for a reply, and probably spend more money than she ever let on. There was no “click and print” option.

She gathered documents, made photocopies of old family photos, and tracked down stories from her Aunts and Uncles. And let me tell you, getting people to contribute? Like pulling teeth!

In 1979, Joan gave my parents a copy of her first family history book. I was 23 years old. It wasn’t fancy—just pages punched and held together in a folder—but I was hooked. Every time I visited Mom and Dad, I’d pull it off the shelf and read it again.

That book was my first glimpse into family I didn’t even know existed. Sure, I knew my Aunts, Uncles, and cousins—but my dad’s cousins? They were complete strangers until Joan brought them to life on the page.

📖 My Turn to Tell the Story

In 2011, I made my own family book, covering each branch of my Dad’s brothers and sisters. And whew—it was hard work. Between chasing down photos, birthdates, and memories, it felt like herding cats.

One of my cousins, David Sweet, said it better than I ever could. Here’s what he wrote:

“In the past several years, Wanda Chappell has assumed a role as family historian, and she has organized many successful and very enjoyable Sweet Family reunions at Baynes Lake B.C. Wanda told us recently that since we grew up while living next door to our family’s patriarch Ellis and matriarch Annie, and that we seemed to know them quite well because of this, it would be nice if we could write down some of our recollections about those times. A sort of who Grandpa and Grandma Sweet were from our point of view. Wanda and all of us know how important this type of thing can be to some family members, especially the younger generations that never knew our Grandpa and Grandma in person but continue to hear what must seem like incredible stories about them. So this is an attempt, after Wanda’s polite nudging, to establish our point of view about Grandpa Ellis and Grandma Annie Sweet. We hope that you enjoy it.”

He went on to write a beautiful story about our grandparents—and I made sure it made it into the book.

💌 Letters, Grandma Stories, and the Magic of Sharing

Joan and I wrote letters back and forth for years, sharing everything we could about the Sweet family. She was the closest connection I had to my grandparents on my dad’s side.

When I was collecting stories from each family branch, she sent me one about Grandma that still makes me tear up.

The truth is, I’ve heard it over and over:

“I don’t know how to write.”
And you know what? Neither do I!
But I’ve got resources. And I’ve learned that it’s not about being perfect—it’s about preserving the stories before they disappear.

Write it in your own words.
Jot it down in a notebook.
Speak it into your phone.

If you can’t turn it into a polished story, someone else can. (And if you’re reading this—you know someone. 😉)

🔥 Campfires, Old Memories, and Gentle Nudges

We all have stories. Some are funny, some are heartbreaking, and some are just plain strange. But they matter.

Around the campfire, I hear my kids tell their kids about staying at Aunt Dar and Uncle Les’s.
I hear stories from their childhood that I didn’t even know about! Apparently, once you move out, you’re immune to getting grounded… who knew?

If Patricia hadn’t asked her mom that one question all those years ago, I might not be writing at all today.

So here’s your gentle nudge:
Ask someone about their past.
Or better yet, share something of your own.
You might just start something bigger than you realize.

👉 Wanda-ism of the day:
“You don’t have to be a writer to leave a legacy—just be brave enough to remember out loud.”

Pull up a chair. I’ve got a story.