Maria Stutzbart Enders

Maria (Stutzbart) Enders was the wife of Josef Enders, owner of the Circus Enders in Timisoara, Romania from 1863 to 1894 when Josef died. Josef, an ethnic German, was born in Prague, Czechia. Maria, also an ethnic German, was born in Timisoara and was from a circus family and her father Adalbert Stutzbart was a famous circus rider. Josef met Maria in Timisoara and they eventually married and they started the Circus Enders in 1863 in Timisoara where they ran their circus consisting primarily of horse riding performances. One daughter, Maria, who would marry the circus ringmaster, Simon Rieffenach, would form an act with her husband and move to the United States in 1922 and perform in the Ringling Brothers Circus as the Riding Rieffenachs act. Her other daughter would marry another circus performer, Victor Balasic, and they would form an acrobatic act and move to the United States in 1923 and perform on Vaudeville as the 5 Balasis, World's Only Head to Head Jugglers.