Charles H. Watson was born in Virginia around 1864. Watson was living in Charlotte by 1910, when he co-founded a reformatory school for African-American boys. Watson served as the school's manager until his resignation in 1913. Watson was also an A. M. E. pastor and leader in the Black community of Charlotte. By 1919, Watson had moved to Illinois, where he served as pastor of the A. M. E. church in Mount Vernon.