AKA: Jennings Sixth Regiment Band
AKA: Jennings Third Regiment Band
Jennings’ Band, originally known as the National Cornet Band, was a well-known musical group in Camden from the 1880s until America’s entry into World War I in 1917. It was established in 1868 with Joseph Jennings as its leader, becoming the Sixth Regiment Band in 1871 when it was integrated into the National Guard. It later became known as Jennings’ Third Regiment Band, following a reorganization of New Jersey’s National Guard units that replaced the Sixth Regiment with the Third. Despite Joseph Jennings’ retirement in 1910, the band continued to be associated with his name.
In his 1886 History of Camden County, New Jersey, George Reeser Prowell detailed the band’s early days, highlighting its significance as the only regimental band in the state for many years. The band members at that time included Joseph Jennings and various musicians such as John Roth, Augusta Buese, Gordon Phillips, and many others. Their bandroom was located at the Sixth Regiment Armory in Camden.
Tragedy struck the Jennings family in 1902 when Joseph Jennings’ son, W. Price Jennings, and another boy, John Coffin, were murdered. The perpetrator, Paul Woodward, was swiftly arrested, tried, and executed.
In 1906, a fire destroyed the Sixth Regiment Armory, the band’s long-time home. Three Camden firefighters, George W. Shields, William Hillman, and William Jobes, lost their lives while battling the blaze, and several others were injured.
Joseph Jennings led the band until his retirement in 1912, after which Joseph Bossle Sr. took over as bandmaster. He reorganized the band and remained its leader until 1919, when he transitioned to leading the Tall Cedars of Lebanon band, which had been established a few years earlier by his son, Joseph Bossle Jr.
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