The Revolutionary Detective
In Memory of Historian and Author
ROBERT A. MAYERS
April 7, 1930 - January 25, 2025
ABOUT THE LIFE OF ROBERT A. MAYERS
Robert A. Mayers, Bob, was born in Passaic, N.J., on April 7th, 1930, and grew up in Belleville, N.J. Despite the Great Depression and World War II, the neighborhood on Perry Street was teeming with happy children of all ages. Good times and holidays were spent with cousins in Belleville, and visits were made to Clifton and Passaic to see grandparents, aunts, and uncles.
Bob attended Belleville School #3 and was an active Cub Scout. At the age of nine, he won a “soapbox derby” race, competing against fifteen other small homemade racing cars. Summers were “down the shore” at Shark River Hills and family gatherings at Uncle Dave’s farm in Warren County. As a teenager, Bob was active in the Order of DeMolay, eventually becoming a Master Mason in 1951. He attended Belleville High School and worked as a laborer for the Board of Education during the summers.
Bob met the love of his life, Norma Lehmann, in high school when she was fourteen and was sixteen. After high school, he enrolled at Rutgers University and continued working summers to pay his tuition. He graduated from Rutgers in 1953 and joined the Navy the same year. His military service was during the Korean conflict. He attended Officer Candidate School in Newport, RI, and was assigned to sea duty as Gunnery Officer on a destroyer, the USS Hunt DD 674. The ship made an around-the-world cruise in 1954 and operated in the western Pacific for a portion of that year. Bob was promoted to Lieutenant (jg) in 1954 and was assigned as Naval Gunfire Liaison Officer with the 6Th Marine Regiment. Coincidentally, his father, Robert E. Mayers, helped build his son’s ship while working as a marine pipe fitter at the Kearney Federal Shipyard during World War II.
Bob and Norma continued dating throughout Bob’s college and Naval years. After graduating from Belleville High School, Norma joined the Prudential Insurance Company, where she served as Assistant Office Manager until 1957. Bob and Norma were married on July 23, 1955, at Grace Episcopal Church in Nutley, NJ. Bob left the Navy in 1956 and joined the Personnel Department at Weston Electric in Newark. in After his time at Weston Electric, Bob joined the Westinghouse Corporation in Metuchen, NJ, as Personnel Administrator. Their first child, Robert Paul, was born in 1957, their second son, Ronald James, was born only fifteen months later and daughter Dawn Marie arrived in 1962.
In 1962, the family built their dream home in Watchung, NJ, high on a hill with a panoramic view of the valley below. When they first moved to this “wilderness,” the street was nothing more than a dirt road that ended at their house. Over the years, the road was extended, and many young families moved into new homes. These neighbors became lifelong friends. The Mayers' children had endless playmates and attended Watchung Grade Schools and Watchung Hills High School. During this time, Bob was an assistant scoutmaster for his sons. Summers were spent at the Brook Hill Swim Club in town, and weekends and vacations were spent at the family home at the Jersey Shore in Shark River Hills.
Throughout their marriage, Norma managed the family’s finances and home improvement projects. Born to European tailors, she became a skilled seamstress. She was an excellent cook, keeping family recipes alive. To stay fit, Norma jogged and attended aerobic dance class, and Bob swam.
Bob joined Thomas & Betts Co. in 1962 as Personnel Director and was promoted to Vice President, directing the company’s overseas manufacturing operations. He represented the firm on the Board of Directors of the Union County Chamber of Commerce and served as Chairman of the United Fund. He received the “Young Man of the Year” award for the County. He left T&B to continue in Human Resources, serving as Director of Industrial Relations at both Amerace Corporation and North American Philips.
In 1975, he joined Airco Corporation as Vice President of Human Resources and oversaw all personnel and labor relations activities across 123 locations worldwide. Ten years later, he began a new career in Human Resources Consulting at Manchester Partners International, where he became Executive Vice President and Partner, with direct responsibility for the firm’s offices in New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut. In 2002, he left the corporate world to fulfill a lifelong dream of becoming a full-time historian and published author.
The Mayers were avid travelers. They visited the Caribbean Islands and, in 1971, flew to California and drove back, crisscrossing the country to stop at national parks and cities. After the children left home for college and their own careers, Bob and Norma continued to see much of the world on annual vacations. Their trips included China, Australia, the Middle East, Scandinavia, Russia, South America, and Europe. When the family was together, major holidays were celebrated with their children, seven grandchildren, and eight great-grandchildren. Christmas Day tradition was spent at home in Watchung, hosted by Norma.
In 2001, they built a new shore home next door to their son Bob on the Shrewsbury River. Summers were spent between Watchung and the shore, where the family enjoyed boating, fishing, the beach, and frequent get-togethers. Winters included cruises and visits to their children’s winter homes in Bonita Springs and Cape Coral, Florida.
In 2005, Bob and Norma celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary by inviting their children and grandchildren on a cruise to England on the new ship, Queen Mary II. A golden gala wedding celebration with over a hundred family members, friends, and neighbors was held at their shore homes on September 10th, 2005. This wedding celebration was held again in 2015 for their 60th anniversary.
Bob Mayers became a full-time historian and author in 2002 and has written seven books that have sold successfully worldwide. “The War Man,” released in 2009, is a true account of his Revolutionary War ancestor, Corporal John Allison, a soldier in the Continental Army who served throughout the eight-year war. An expert genealogist, Bob wrote “The Portrait of an American Family” in 2011, based on his many years of research into the ancestry of the Mayers and Allison families, conducted in England and America. These works were followed by “Searching for Private Yankee Doodle - Washington’s Soldiers, in the American Revolution,” 2016. This book describes the men of the Continental Army, who they were and what inspired them to endure appalling hardships. “Revolutionary New Jersey, Forgotten Towns and Crossroads of the American Revolution,” 2018. His other works include: “Historic Tales of Watchung” 2020, “Middlebrook, The Revolutionary War Encampment that Saved America” 2021. In addition to his books, he authored several articles, including “Revolutionary Citizen-Soldier” featured in History Channel Magazine, Bloody Bound Brook, the Lost Hessian Diary, and six other articles that appeared in Garden State Legacy Magazine.
Bob is an active member of several historical societies and a frequent speaker and contributor to publications. He has spoken at West Point and the Pentagon. His military experience provides him with a deeper perspective on the campaigns and battles depicted in his books. He has appeared on several Comcast TV programs hosted by his friend
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