Blacksmithing as an occupation runs in a branch of my family. Abraham Hodge, my 2x great-grandfather, was the son of Thomas Hodge, a blacksmith transported as a convict, and the grandson of an English-born whitesmith named Peter Hodge. At least three of Abraham’s sons, Burt, Stan and Ross, also worked as blacksmiths.

Born at Mummel near Goulburn in 1860, Abraham plied his trade a blacksmith in rural New South Wales all his life. Throughout his seventies he worked at Rosedale Station, near Tilpa and then Marra Station, near Tilpa and Wilcannia. Both were particularly remote, on the upper Darling River in the north west of New South Wales.

Rural life

In the grip of long, hot summer months, the land would have been dry and dusty. Sheep and cattle grazing and seeking what little shade they could find. There was the ever present threat of bushfires, then in winter heavy rain could cut them off with flooding.

Life for Abraham and his family was isolated, and it was a long trip to Sydney, almost 1,000 kilometres away. The remoteness and limited facilities meant life could be difficult. After six children were born safely to Abraham and his wife Eliza, three more, just tiny babies, died in the space of three years. Eliza refused to stay in the country after the 1899 birth of their final child, my great-grandfather Jack, and she took him and went to live in Sydney. Abraham remained behind and only made occasional visits to the city.

Tools of the trade

The tools of Abraham’s trade were tongs and hammer, forge, bellows and anvil. Tongs were used to handle glowing orange metal, pushing it deep into hot coals, while simultaneously drawing down on bellows to fan the heat of the forge. When the metal changed from orange to red, Abraham would grasp it tightly with the tongs, and turn to the anvil. He’d quickly pick up the heavy hammer and begin beating it into shape, carefully transforming it.

As a blacksmith, Abraham wore a thick, worn leather apron, tied and folded at the waist, as protection from stray sparks. A split in the middle and straps around his thighs held it in place ready for when he cradled the hoof of a horse between his knees to shoe it.

Such attire wouldn’t have been comfortable in the close confines of the fire needed by a blacksmith, and even more so in hot weather, but it was necessary. So were well-worn boots. A concession to sweltering heat and close air were a battered hat, which also provided some relief from the sun’s rays, and a loose shirt with sleeves tucked up past his forearms. All combined it was an unofficial blacksmith’s uniform.

Selected references

‘Guide to Colonial Blacksmith Clothing (What Did They Wear?)’, Working the Flame, https://workingtheflame.com/colonial-blacksmith-clothing/, accessed 25 October 2025.

‘The Heat on Marra’, Barrier Miner, 12 February 1896, p.3, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article44153166, accessed 25 October 2025.

‘Darling River communities cut off by flood for more than a month’, ABC News, 21 February 2022, https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-02-21/darling-river-floods-cut-off-residents-for-a-month/100843944, accessed 25 October 2025.

Entry for Abraham Hodge, Rosedale, Tilpa, 1930, Australia, Electoral Rolls, 1903-1980, Ancestry.com, accessed 25 October 2025.

Entry for Abraham Hodge, Rosedale, Tilpa, 1932, Australia, Electoral Rolls, 1903-1980, Ancestry.com, accessed 25 October 2025.

Entry for Abraham Hodge, Rosedale, Tilpa, 1934, Australia, Electoral Rolls, 1903-1980, Ancestry.com, accessed 25 October 2025.

Entry for Abraham Hodge, Rosedale, Tilpa, 1935, Australia, Electoral Rolls, 1903-1980, Ancestry.com, accessed 25 October 2025.

Entry for Abraham Hodge, Marra Station, Wilcannia, 1936, Australia, Electoral Rolls, 1903-1980, Ancestry.com, accessed 25 October 2025.

Entry for Abraham Hodge, Marra Station, Wilcannia, 1937, Australia, Electoral Rolls, 1903-1980, Ancestry.com, accessed 25 October 2025.

Entry for Abraham Hodge, Marra Station, Wilcannia, 1939, Australia, Electoral Rolls, 1903-1980, Ancestry.com, accessed 25 October 2025.