William Aldworth Poyser, 1882 - 1928
by Brian Stevenson
last updated July, 2024
W.A. Poyser had a wide range of scientific interests. He joined the Philadelphia Botanical Club in 1906, and amassed a large collection of ferns. He moved to Hammond, Indiana in 1910, where his attention turned to raising aquarium fish and studying diatoms. His enthusiasm for diatom studies faded by the time he returned to Philadelphia, in 1914, and focused his spare time on aquaria and editing magazines on that topic.
Poyser experienced a renewed enthusiasm in diatom studies in 1919, and began preparing slides for exchange and sale. He became a Fellow of the Royal Microscopical Society in 1921. Poyser’s high quality diatom slides can be roughly dated by the absence or presence of “F.R.M.S.” on his slide labels (Figure 1).
Figure 1.
Microscope slides of selected diatoms, by W.A. Poyser. These undoubtedly date from after 1919, when his enthusiasm for diatom research was rekindled. The absence of “F.R.M.S.” on the top slide’s label further dates it to before Poyser joined the Royal Microscopical Society in January, 1921, while the lower slide was prepared after that date.
Figure 2.
A selected Diploneis crabro diatom, mounted ca. 1921 by W.A. Poyser (see Figure 1). Photographed with a 25x objective lens and C-mounted digital SLR camera on a Leitz Ortholux II microscope.
Figure 3.
1911 requests from W.A. Poyser, asking for diatomaceous gatherings in exchange for microscope slides or ferns. Note that he lived in Hammond, Indiana at this time. From “Fern Bulletin”.
Figure 4.
1913 advertisements, from “The Aquarium”. Poyser was that magazine’s Editor in Chief. Note that he still lived in Indiana.
Figure 5.
A 1919 article from “The Guide to Nature”, reporting on W.A. Poyser’s renewed interest in microscopical studies of diatoms.
Figure 6.
Advertisements for diatomaceous material and prepared slides of diatoms. Poyser was elected a Fellow in the Royal Microscopical Society on January 19, 1921. Both from “Aquatic Life”, of which Poyser was the Editor.
William Aldworth Poyser was born on January 29, 1882, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. A personal record noted that our microscopist was known as “Worth” to his friends.
He was the first of two children of Theophilus William Poyser and Elizabeth Wray Aldworth. The parents divorced prior to 1900, whereupon Elizabeth and the two children moved in with her widowed grandmother. The 1900 national census shows that Worth Poyser was working as a clerk for a gas company. He remained in that occupation for the rest of his life.
Poyser married Sue Henning on September 27, 1905. They did not have any children.
He joined the Philadelphia Botanical Club in 1906. Poyser contributed papers to the club’s journal, such as “Notes on local ferns” in 1909. An obituary by that club noted, “He early became interested in ferns and scoured the country around Philadelphia, collecting specimens which he exchanged with botanists in various parts of the United States and abroad. In this way he amassed a valuable collection which was later purchased by the Academy”. Regarding this, The Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia reported in 1914 that, “Through the assistance of Mrs. Beulah M. Rhoads and the Botanical Section, it was possible to purchase the valuable collection of 1900 ferns and fern allies made by Mr. W.A. Poyser, which adds greatly to the completeness of this section of the Academy's herbarium”.
Worth and Sue Poyser moved to Hammond, Indiana, on the outskirts of Chicago, in 1910. During that time, Poyser’s interest in ferns waned. The Philadelphia Botanical Club noted that “he had in the meantime transferred his interests to the rearing of goldfish and the study of aquarium life, extending later to microscopic study of diatoms, rotifers and other minute forms of animals and plants”. He was an officer of the Chicago Fish Fanciers’ Club. Poyser advertised to acquire diatomaceous material during this time, first in botanical magazines, and later in magazines for aquarium hobbyists (Figures 3 and 4).
Also during his time in Indiana, Poyser took on the role of Editor for a fish-fanciers’ magazine, The Aquarium. He resigned from that position in late 1913, near the time that he returned to Philadelphia. He took on the Editor’s position of another magazine, Aquatic Life, around 1917.
Also during 1917, Poyser was instrumental in establishing the Philadelphia Microscopical Society. His Aquatic Life magazine published this announcement: “During the past winter a group of microscopists have met at intervals for the discussion of matters of interest, especially with regard to technique. Talks have been given on the principles of microscopy (Frank J. Keeley); methods of illumination, demonstrated with twentyfive microscopes and objects mounted in various media (Mr. Keeley); photomicrography (Dr. Thomas S. Stewart); mounting methods, with demonstration of slide microtome (Dr. Stewart); cell making and mounting objects dry (W.A. Poyser). The group has now formally organized as The Philadelphia Microscopical Society. Meetings will be held, except during July and August, on the fourth Thursday of the month, at 8 P. M., in laboratory of the Wagner Institute of Science, Seventeenth and Montgomery The meetings are open to the public. Microscopists desiring to become members may obtain further information by addressing the secretary, W.A. Poyser, 207 South Thirty-seventh street. The necessary qualification is an interest. in microscopy; the dues are purely nominal”.
A popular science magazine, The Guide to Nature, regularly included photographs of general scientific interest in its issues. One such image, a photomicrograph of a Pinnularia diatom, caught Worth Poyser’s attention and inspired him to focus energies on diatom studies (Figure 5). He began mounting selected diatoms and mixed strews from varioushabitats, then published exchange and sale advertisements (Figure 6). He joined the Royal Microscopical Society in January, 1921. Slides that bear “F.R.M.S.” date from after that time point.
Worth Poyser died of tuberculosis on February 29, 1928. Bartonia, The Proceedings of the Philadelphia Botanical Club, published this obituary:
“William Aldworth Poyser, a former member of the Philadelphia Botanical Club, died in Philadelphia on February 29, 1928. He was born in this city on January 29, 1882, and most of his life was spent here. One of his early teachers was the late Thomas G. Gentry, known for his interest in ornithology and archaeology, and Poyser's inherent love of nature was doubtless encouraged by this association.
He early became interested in ferns and scoured the country around Philadelphia, collecting specimens which he exchanged with botanists in various parts of the United States and abroad. In this way he amassed a valuable collection which was later purchased by the Academy.
Mr. Poyser joined the Club in 1906 and remained an active member until his removal to Hammond, Indiana, in 1910, when he became a Corresponding Member. Although he returned to his native city in 1914, he did not take up ferns again, as he had in the meantime transferred his interests to the rearing of goldfish and the study of aquarium life, extending later to microscopic study of diatoms, rotifers and other minute forms of animals and plants. He was for a time editor of a monthly journal, ‘Aquarium’, and later, from 1919 to 1927, of a more pretentious journal, ‘Aquatic Life’, which he was forced to relinquish on account of failing health…
‘Worth’ Poyser had an attractive personality and his enthusiasm was contagious. No tramp was too arduous, if valuable specimens were to be obtained, while he devoted many hours to maintaining his correspondence with fellow students in all parts of the world. It was enlightening to go over one's herbarium with him and to realize the exactness and extent of his knowledge which resulted in the occasional discovery of rare species in the vicinity of Philadelphia that other botanists had failed to find.
In his death we lose one of the best-informed fern students that the Club has ever had, and we can but regret that his interest in later years turned to other fields.
He is survived by his widow, Mrs. Sue Henning Poyser, who was ever a most sympathetic companion in all of his work”.
Resources
The Aquarium (1913) Advertisements from W.A. Poyser, advertising sections, multiple issues
The Aquarium (1913) Societies: Chicago Fish Fanciers’ Club, multiple issues
The Aquarium (1913) Note on resignation of W.A. Poyser, September issue, page 1
Aquatic Life (1917) Masthead: “W.A. Poyser, Editor”
Aquatic Life (1917) The Microscopical Society, page 58
Aquatic Life (1920) Diatom advertisements from W.A. Poyser (“Editor”), multiple issues
Aquatic Life (1921) Diatom advertisements from W.A. Poyser, F.R.M.S., multiple issues
Bartonia: Proceedings of the Philadelphia Botanical Club (1909) Members: “W.A. Poyser, 6028 De Lancey St., Philadelphia, Pa. 1906”
Bartonia: Proceedings of the Philadelphia Botanical Club (1910) Members: “W.A. Poyser, 6020 Thompson St., Philadelphia, Pa. 1906”
Bartonia: Proceedings of the Philadelphia Botanical Club (1911) Corresponding Members: “W.A. Poyser, Hammond, Ind. 1906”
Bartonia: Proceedings of the Philadelphia Botanical Club (1914) Corresponding Members: “W.A. Poyser, Hammond, Ind. 1906”
Bartonia: Proceedings of the Philadelphia Botanical Club (1928) William Aldworth Poyser, pages 49-50
Death record of Willam Adworth Poyser (1928) accessed through ancestry.com
Fern Bulletin (1911) Advertisements from W.A. Poyser, June issue, inside cover
The Guide to Nature (1919) Now, microscopists!, Vol. 11, page 261
Journal of the Royal Microscopical Society (1921) Minutes of the January 19, 1921 meeting
Journal of the Royal Microscopical Society (1921) Fellows: “1921, Poyser, W.A. 2420 Catherine-street, Philadelphia, Pa., U.S.A.”
The Naturalists’ Directory (1924) "Poyser. W. Aldworth, F.R.M.S., Sec. Phila. Mic. Soc., 2418 Catherine St., Philadelphia, Pa. Diatoms, Ferns, Fishes. Gen. Mic. C. Ex. and buy”, page 135, S. Cassino, Boston
Poyser, W.A. (1909) Notes on local ferns, Bartonia: Proceedings of the Philadelphia Botanical Club, pages 22-25
Poyser, W.A. (1913) The brook silverside, The Aquarium, January issue, pages 69 and 72
Poyser, W.A. (1913) The dogfish, The Aquarium, January issue, page 78
Poyser, W.A. (1913) On freshwater snails, The Aquarium, April issue, page 7
Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia (1914) Donations, Vol. 66, page 662
US census and other records, accessed through ancestry.com