Routh was a free Black woman in Houston and one of the few Black woman landowners in the state. She was born in Virginia around 1806 and was enslaved to James Routh of Louisiana. She came to Texas with the Routh family and other enslaved people in 1827. When James died in 1837, Sylvia and her children were freed by decree of James’ will. James’ brother William contested the will and Sylvia’s freedom, and it took her almos six years of court proceedings to secure her freedom, gain custody of her children, and acquire the rest of the portion of the Routh estate bequeathed to her. She bought brought a number of lots on the edge of Houston near Buffalo Bayou and ran a shipping business. She sold her lands in 1859 and moved to California, then to Washington where she died in 1889.
