John L.Watson was born in New York City in 1842.He fought in the Civil War,then came to Brentwood.He intended to build a box factory here,so he bought property near Thompson's Station and moved his family there.But John was unable to get the title for that land,so he bought a home on Brentwood Road.The Watsons had two children,Harriet and Oscar.John became very active in the community,including being a faithful member of Christ Episcopal Church and the William Gurney Post of the G.A.R.He also had one of the village's first private telephone lines.He was school tax collector for the Brentwood district at the time of his death on January 2,1910.
Harriet Watson later became well-known in the village as the wife of Oliver Wittberg,who established a well-known dairy here(Oliver and John helped install the bell at Christ Episcopal Church).Her brother,Oscar,ran a successful livery stable on his father's property.He later had a local taxicab company,which was still operating in 1950.Harriet died in 1944.