The Carroll Family– William Barney Carroll and Mary Ann Sprague, along with their adopted children – Mary,  Annie  and  Willie Carroll- were bareback riders, equestrians and circus performers.

An Actor, Singer and Theater Manager, Benjamin Rush Maginley entered the circus as a Clown on August 8, 1863. “A decided hit” (NY Times)

Ben Maginley and Mary Carroll were married on January 3, 1864. “The wedding was a sensation in circus circles, it being regarded as a runaway match, although the bride was in her 20th year.” ( New York Times)

A long collaboration throughout the 1860’s & 1870’s between Benjamin Maginley and The Carroll Family is documented in thousands of newspaper clippings that have been collected and presented here.  They performed, managed animals and circuses for the top circus names of the day- “Howes’ Great London”, “PT Barnum’s Circus”, “Great Eastern”, “Barnum’s Circus”, “Bailey Circus”, but entered a joint venture called Maginley Carroll Family Circus. 

Barney Carroll and Ben Maginley ventured into Circus ownership and management on their own– “Maginley and Carroll Family Circus”, “Maginley & Co. Circus”, “Melville, Maginley & Cooke’s Continental Circus and Thespian Company”, “Maginley Royal Circus”,  “Maginley & Van Vleck’s Cosmopolitan Circus”,  “Maginley & Van Vleck”, “Maginley and Carroll’s Circus”, “Maginley and Carroll’s Great Legitimate Circus”,  “Ben Maginley’s Monitor Circus”,  Maginley & Co. Circus, Museum Menagerie and Trained Animals”,  “Mr. Ben Maginley’s Celebrated European Circus”, “Mr. W. B. Carroll’s New York Circus”, “Maginley Circus and Managerie” and ” Maginley, Black & Co”.