Researching Robert Smalls
Explore the detail of Robert Smalls using the links below. We hope you find this information useful!
![]() | Did you know that in the 1881 UK census there were 104 people with the Smalls surname? In that year Smalls was ranked number 3475 for popularity in the UK. |

The name Robert means "bright fame" and is of English origin.
Records of Robert Smalls on Ancestry
Ancestry is a major source of information if you are filling out the detail of Robert Smalls in your family tree. Many large databases are available to search covering from births, deaths and marriages, military records, census records and immigration records with many other smaller collections too. Free trials are normally available and are a good way to fill out a lot of your tree quickly.
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Ancestry.com Global records search results for Robert Smalls. |
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Ancestry.com US records search results for Robert Smalls. |
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Ancestry.co.uk UK records search results for Robert Smalls. |
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Ancestry.ca Canadian records search results for Robert Smalls. |
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Ancestry.com.au Australian records search results for Robert Smalls. |
DNA
Sometimes you can run into a brick wall in your tree and you just don't have enough evidence to make that next step back in time. A DNA test can sometimes help to make a link to a particular family name if you find you share common DNA with people who have the same or similar surnames as each other. If you are lucky then you may get a match within a few generations and discover some Smalls ancestors. Additionally, the modern DNA test can give you a breakdown of your ethnic mix - you may be surprised at the results!
Have you reached a brick wall in your Smalls Tree?
Birth, Death and Marriage Records for Robert Smalls and the Smalls Family Tree
Birth, Death and Marriage records are often the best method of making the links to the Smalls Genealogy that will form part of your family tree. Although records vary from country to country, they are normally the most formal record of a person's relations. From the sources listed below it will be possible to locate a birth record and, from that record, a birth certificate may be obtainable which is likely to list the names of the parents, therefore taking you back another generation. A marriage certificate may also list the names of the respective fathers of the bride and groom which may then help you to find them earlier in life on a census record enabling you to fill out more detail in the Smalls family tree.
Check out Parish Records for Robert Smalls at Find My Past.
Explore for the UK registered births, marriages and deaths of Robert Smalls using the FreeBMD database.
Search Genealogy Bank for Robert Smalls records.
Check out MyHeritage for Robert Smalls information.
Check out the LDS Database for records about Robert Smalls.
Research the Smalls surname using fold3 Military Archives and view images of original Smalls Military records.
![]() | Did you know that there are currently 126 people with the Smalls surname in the UK? Smalls is now ranked number 3924 for popularity in the UK. |
Smalls Family Tree Databases
Another way to build your tree quickly is to use the research other people have already done. This can help to confirm or refute your own deductions - however, be wary of taking this data at face value as other researchers may not have been as meticulous as you. Always try to back up deductions with some definitive sources rather than relying too heavily on others.
Study the WikiTree database for user contributed records for Robert Smalls.
Study MyTrees for information on the Smalls family and people looking to contact living Smalls relations.
Search One Great Family for Smalls records submitted by people who are already researching the Smalls Family Tree.
Find Robert Smalls from Ireland on findmypast.ie
Smalls Forums
There are a number of forums which are dedicated to rearching particular surnames. These can be good places to share your findings and also to tap into the knowledge that others may already have. These can sometimes be a good way of finding living relations as these tend not to show up on the other sources of information for privacy reasons.
Research the Smalls surname using Genealogy.com forums .
![]() | Did you know that there are currently 18229 people with the Smalls surname in the USA? Smalls is ranked number 151 for popularity in the USA. |
Miscellaneous Smalls Databases
Investigate the Ellis Island Database for information on Robert Smalls. This database contains over 25 million immigration records detailing passengers arriving in the United States of America.
Some Famous People called Robert Smalls
Robert Smalls
Robert Smalls (April 5, 1839 – February 23, 1915) was an American politician, publisher, businessman, and maritime pilot. Born into slavery in Beaufort, South Carolina, he freed himself, his crew, and their families during the American Civil War by commandeering a Confederate transport ship, CSS Planter, in Charleston harbor, on May 13, 1862, and sailing it from Confederate-controlled waters of the harbor to the U.S. blockade that surrounded it. He then piloted the ship to the Union-controlled enclave in Beaufort–Port Royal–Hilton Head area, where it became a Union warship. His example and persuasion helped convince President Abraham Lincoln to accept African-American soldiers into the Union Army.
After the American Civil War he returned to Beaufort and became a politician, winning election as a Republican to the South Carolina Legislature and the United States House of Representatives during the Reconstruction era. Smalls authored state legislation providing for South Carolina to have the first free and compulsory public school system in the United States. He founded the Republican Party of South Carolina. Smalls was the last Republican to represent South Carolina's 5th congressional district until the election of Mick Mulvaney in 2011.
Source: Robert Smalls, Wikipedia, The Free EncyclopediaOther names that sound a bit like Smalls
Family names can get corrupted over time, particularly where literacy was not as good. The following list contains some names that have similar sounds so you may want to also look at one or two of the more likely possibilites.
Sambals Sambelles Sambells Sambels Sambles Sambleson Samuels Samuelson Samuelsson Schimmels Schmalz Schmalzl Schmeelck Schmeelk Schmeelke Schmelcher Schmelzer Schnelcker Schnelke Schnelker Schoenhals Sehehenlist Semales Semelis Semlock Senelestune Senellestone Shinholser Shinholster Shumilak Smailes Smails Smalcombe Smalecombe Smales Smallacombe Smallcomb Smallcombe Smalledge Smalles Smallidge Smallshaw Smallsman Smelcer Smelko Smelser Smelstor Smelzer Smiles Smiljanic Smilowicz Smolik Snelgar Snelgrove Snelker Snelleksz Snellgrove Snelson Snelston Szmulowicz Szynalik





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