Other Events and Attributes:

• Name: Professor Alphonse Loisette
• Birth: 5 May 1832, Cohocton, Steuben, NY
• Census: 2 Aug 1850, New Haven, New Haven, CT
• Education: 1854, Yale College, New Haven, New Haven, CT; The 1854 school catalog lists Marcus Dwight Larrowe, New York City, as a lawyer.
• Census: 17 Jul 1860, Ripon, Fond du Lac, WI
• Event-Misc: Between Nov 1864 and Nov 1866, Austin, Lander, NV
• Event-Misc: 1867, Cohocton, Steuben, NY
• Census: 12 Jan 1870, 21 Bank Street, New York, New York, NY
• Event-Misc: May 1879, London, ENGLAND
• Event-Misc: Between 1886 and 1888, New York, New York, NY
• Event-Misc: Apr 1886, New York, New York, NY
• Event-Misc: 1888, Washington, DC
• Event-Misc: Between 1893 and 1894, CANADA
• Event-Misc: 5 Nov 1894, New York, New York, NY
• Event-Misc: 11 Aug 1895, Sydney, AUSTRAILIA

Notes:

Census:
In the 1850 census Marcus, age 21, is enumerated as a teacher in the home of the Rev. Judson A. Root. Rev. Root was the principal at the "Young Ladies' Collegiate Institute" of New Haven, Conn.

The institute was found in about 1830 and was located off Wooster Square.

Census:
The 1860 census lists M.D Larrowe and Mrs. M.D. Larrowe living in a "public house." His occupation is listed as lawyer.

Mrs. M. D. Larrowe is a mystery at this point. She gives her age and birthplace as 22 (ca 1838) and VT.

Event-Misc:
Marcus Larrowe was the state senator from Landry County. He was a member of the Union party.
He was absent from the 1866 Session and an election was held to fill the vacancy.

Event-Misc:
Marcus and his brother Albertus inherited the family farmstead upon the death of their father. Marcus sold his right to the home to his brother. Albertus was the founder of the Larrowe Milling Company which went on to become one of four companies combined to form General Mills.

Census:
The 1870 census shows Marcus and Nina at 21 Bank Street, NY, NY; Marcus, 37, b. NY, occupation"Literary Library"; Nina, 36, b. NY.

Event-Misc:
Professor Alpohonse Loisette first seems to appear in May of 1879 in London, England. He promises to teach French in one fourth the usual time at his residence at 44 Newman Street. By 1882 he has moved to a new abode at 37 New Oxford Street and is advertising “Instantaneous Memory” by post or private lesson.

Event-Misc:
Robert Frederick Foster (1853-1945), a native of Edinburgh, Scotland and "connected with some of the best families in Great Britain" was hired to be Loisette's business manager. It is said that Loisette's classes prior to Foster's hiring never exceeded two or three hundred, Foster "secured for his introductory lectures such as he had never before addressed, and his classes suddenly increased to more than a thousand."

"Loisette Exposed" published the terms of Foster's employment. Compensation was "20% of the total amount received from any class organized by Foster, after the expense of organizing the class have been deducted." The author cited as an example a 14 week period between Dec. 10, 1887 and March 14, 1888. Classes were held at Michigan University (400), Baltimore, MD (1087), Detroit, MI (1005), Philadelphia, PA (1500), and Washington D.C. (1100). " Estimating the average expense for each city at $500, we have $2,500 to deduct from $25,000, realized from 5,000 pupils at $5 each. Of this Loisette received about $18,000 and Foster $4,500, besides expenses. From this it would seem that a man must have strong reason for resigning a position that had paid him over $50 a day for more than fourteen weeks and for which he had a four years' contract. It might also be interesting to know what induced Loisette to release a man who was puttiing $1,300 a week into his pocket, which he had to travel only a few miles, and talk about four hours a week to earn."
The author further states that upon meeting Foster he learned he was thoroughly ashamed of ever having any connection with Loisette. "Mr. Foster soon discovered that he himself knew a great deal more of the "marvellous" system of memory in its practical application than Loisette, who was as subject to mind-wandering and had as poor a memory as any of the mental wrecks whom he so vividly portrays as "mnemonical teachers."

"Loisette Exposed" even went so far as to publish Foster's letter of resignation, written on April 25, 1888 at Baltimore, calling Loisette a humbug and a fraud.

Foster later published, in 1897, "Foster's Complete Hoyle: An Encyclopedia of All the Indoor Games Played at the Present Day." It was still being updated and re-printed as late as 1953.

Event-Misc:
The first ads touting a marvelous memory discovery which allows "any book learned in one reading." begin showing up in the United States. A search of newspapers finds ads from Vermont to California and Texas to the White Earth Reservation in Minnesota. Pictured is the ad that appeared in "The Progress" in White Earth, MN, typical of most. The professor claims he is recommended by Mark Twain and W.W. Astor and that he has given classes at Yale, U of Penn., Wellesley and Chautauqua University.

At about this time ads also begin appearing in Melbourne, Australia.

Event-Misc:
George S. Fellows publishes a book that contains the complete "Loisette System" claiming several reasons that Loisette does not own a copyright to the system. In addition he states the system is not original to Loisette but a Dr. Pick. Fellows states he "has no interest in any Memory System whatsoever, and is actuated solely by that keen sense of justice and innate love of liberty, characteristic of every true American." Fellows feels if the system works it should be available to all, free of charge. From the preface of "Loisette Exposed," "The so-called Loisette System here presented, complete, has hitherto cost from FIVE to TWENTY-FIVE DOLLARS and the signing of a contract binding to secrecy in the penal sum of FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS. If the system is worthless that fact should be made known. If it is all it claims to be, the whole world ought to have the benefit of it, and at last can have it, and at a price within the reach of millions. Here it is, and the intelligent public can judge for themselves."

The book includes a section of "Testimonials of the Loisette System" including one written by Mark Twain at Hartford, March 4, 1887:

Dear Sir:-Prof. Loisette did not create a memory for me; no, nothing of the kind. And yet he did for me what amounted to the same thing, for he proved to me that I already had a memory, a thing that I was not aware of till then. I had before been able, like most people, to store up and lose things in the dark cellar of my memory; but he showed me how to light up the cellar. It is the difference, to change the figure, between having money where you can't collect it, and having it in your own pocket. The information cost me very little, yet I value it at a prodigious figure.
Truly yours,
S. L. Clemons

Loisette must have brough suit because on July 27, 1888 the New York Supreme Court ruled Prof. Loisette's system was original, being a new departure in the education of the memory. The court ordered Fellows to deliver up to Prof. Loisette the stereotype plates and all the books in his control.

Note: The book is readily availabe on Amazon.

Event-Misc:
Ads begin appearing in Canada. For the most part ads in far flung places are for learning the system "by post." The Professor is still doing some lecturing including a stint in St. Paul, Minnesota where he gave both private and public lectures.

Event-Misc:
Alphonse Loisette applies for a passport for himself, his wife and manservant. He gives his occupation as "memory educator."
He is described as 62 years old, 5'9' in stature, with a high forehead, blue, brown eyes, straight nose, average mouth, round chin, grey and thin hair, florid complexion and full face.

Event-Misc:
Professor and Mesdames Loisette arrive in Sydney aboard the "Tarwera" having departed Auckland, New Zealand.

Died:
Larrowe's obituary incorrectly identifies him as a musician.

Buried:
Find A Grave e-Memorial

Marcus married Nina CHURCHMAN on 16 Aug 1864 in Lander Co., NV, and was divorced on 1 Jun 1878 in San Francisco, San Francisco, CA. Nina (daughter of James CHURCHMAN and Samantha MIREE) was born on 26 Mar 1844 in Dubuque, Dubuque, IA; died on 16 Mar 1921 in Portland, Multnomah, OR. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Marcus married Ida May HOUGH on 23 Aug 1891 in Manhattan, New York, NY. Ida was born on 25 Aug 1853 in Sunbury, Northumberland, PA; died in 1953; was buried in Larrowe Cemetery, Cohocton, Steuben, NY. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]