Thomas Laws, the first black landowner in Brielle, was born in Glouster County Virginia, in 1867, the youngest of ten children. As a small boy, Thomas loved to play down at the docks where the boatmen unloaded their wares.  By running errands and doing odd jobs, Thomas was very helpful to them.  He became especially friendly with a certain Captain Osborn.  When Thomas was 10, his mother died, leaving his father to care for him and his brothers and sisters.  A friend and neighbor of Captain Osborn was Captain Bailey, whose mother in New Jersey needed someone to help her around the house.  Captain Osborn told them about little Thomas and promised to try and bring the boy back with him.

Thomas' father consented to his going provided that the Captain brought Thomas back before Christmas.  They arrived in Manasquan on an oyster boat in 1877, landing at the spot where the Mid-Atlantic Drive-In Bank stands today.

Thomas was a great help to Mrs. Baily around the house, chopping wood, making the fire, and bringing in water and cleaning lamps.  Thomas was disappointed though, because he wanted to attend school, and black children were not allowed in the school in Manasqun at that time.  As a matter of fact, he was not welcomed at all by the Manasquan children, who threw stones and eggs at him when he was on the streets.  Captain Bailey would not let this outrageous behavior continue, and had a law passed that prohibited it, and allowed Thomas to attend school.

Although Thomas was in the school, he was not allowed to participate in the learning process.  He was put to work washing the slates, getting water, sweeping the floors, and keeping the fire going.  Mrs. Bailey helped Thomas learn to write his name.  This was the extent of his "formal" education.

At the age of 23, Thomas met a beautiful girl who was employed by Dr. Brown, the pastor of the First Presbyterian Church in Manasquan.  When the couple became engaged, Captain Bailey helped Thomas to have a home built where he could take his bride.  The house was completed in 1890, and the couple was married in 1892 at Dr. Brown's church.

To this union were born two sons, Edward and Joseph.  Thomas was determined to see that his children each got an education.  Joseph attended the University of Pennsylvania, where he studied dentistry.  He practiced this profession until his death in 1950.  Edward worked for the Federal Government during WWI, and after the war worked for the Borough of Manasquan.

After the death of Captain Bailey, Thomas Laws became a landscape gardener and worked in Manasquan and Brielle.  Thomas owned property in both towns as well.  He left a legacy of beautifully sculptured hedges which became a tradition carried on to this day.

Thomas Laws was a very remarkable man.  From his low status as an unwelcomed black houseboy who was denied an education, he rose to become a respected landowner within that same community.