Thomas Edwards was a lawyer in Wake County, North Carolina. In 1838 he helped Rachel Locus, a free woman of color, successfully apply for a widow's pension. However, in 1839 Rachel Locus accused Edwards of fraudulently using the pension certificate to withdraw money for himself, thereby denying her the benefit of her claim. As a result of Rachel Locus' appeal she was issued a new pension certificate. Any further information about Edwards has not been located.