Addison Watts was born in 1849 in Hampton, Virginia, to Robert and Leah Watts. On May 15, 1870, at 21, he married 22-year-old Minerva Johnson in Boston, Massachusetts.
On November 6, 1871, Mr. Watts enlisted in the United States Navy at Portsmouth, New Hampshire, to serve on the side of the Union. During his service, he served aboard the USS Wyoming.
At 24, while living in Portsmouth, he remarried. On March 4, 1873, Mr. Watts married 16-year-old Clara Winfield. He worked as a waiter during this period. In March 1876, he was incarcerated in Massachusetts State Prison. He died of syphilis four years and two months later on May 5, 1880, at 31.
