“Climbing the Hills and Finding the Rivers” is a manuscript by Marji Smock Stewart and her husband William Stewart. The title phrases are touchstones of life for them, she said; his in the first part and hers in the second.
Finding the rivers came from Marji’s father – always his advice for when you’re in a new place. Rivers, especially the Ohio, played an important part in both Marji and Bill’s lives. This is the story of their lives, written for their family, serialized and shared here by me. I sometimes altered the arrangement of the content and edited for length, but the words are theirs.
The family photos are also theirs, but I added them and some others to these posts.
Climbing the Hills and Finding the Rivers: Parts 1-16

Part 1: Monroe Smock, Kentucky
July 29, 2019

August 5, 2019

Part 3: Smocks in Gladewater TX
August 13, 2019

Part 4: Smocks on the Ohio River
August 20, 2019

Part 5: River Pilot, Air Pilot
August 27, 2019

Part 6: 1945 A Year to Remember
September 3, 2019

Part 7: 35 Cent Grilled Cheese
September 11, 2019

October 27, 2019

Part 9: Lum and Sarah McDonald
November 19, 2019

March 27, 2020

Part 11: Kentucky to Minnesota
April 19, 2020

May 25, 2020

November 11, 2019

June 30, 2020

August 22, 2020

September 27, 2020