Sewell Acres, a Black man born around 1812 in Virginia, first appeared in the 1850 U.S. Census living in Elizabethtown, Essex County, New York. He worked as a laborer and lived with his wife, Betsey, their two sons, Edwin and Orrin Demming, and two other Black men, John and William Brown.
By 1855, Sewell was listed as 30 years old and married to Maria Acres. He still lived in Elizabethtown with his sons, while the Browns were no longer in the household.
In 1860, Sewell—recorded as “Sil Akers”—was living in Chesterfield, Essex County, in the home of Emory Genson with his son Orrin. His wife was not present, and he was unable to read or write.
In the 1865 New York State Census, Sewell was head of his own household in Chesterfield, living with his wife Mariah. No children were listed, and this was the last known record of his life. Further documentation has not yet been found.