Job title
Fabrika Memuru
Factory official
Group of job titles: Technical and stores
Stored spellings: Fabrika Memuru; fabrika memuru
21 officials held the job title Fabrika Memuru. Its 286 annual entries run from 1874 to 1907 (AH 1291 to 1324). The median of the 286 recorded monthly salaries is 477.5 kuruş, against 500 kuruş for the whole collection in the same years. The median entry paid 93 per cent of the collection median of its year. On average an official was paid more than 45 per cent of the other officials with a salary in the same year. Half of the officials have an entry in it in no more than 12 different years, and a quarter in 19 or more. It was the first title on record for 62 per cent of the officials and the last for 52 per cent. No other title is recorded for 29 per cent of them. The title held just after it by most officials is Makine Memuru (5 officials). The entries name 4 places. The place with the largest number of officials is Istanbul, with 18.
- Officials
- 21
- Years on recordAH 1291 to 1324, 34 years with an entry
- 1874 to 1907
- Median monthly salary0.93× the collection median of the same years (500 kuruş)
- 477.5 kuruş
- Places with officials
- 4
- First job title on recordfor 13 of the 21 officials
- 62%
What the job was
Factory official (fabrika memuru).1 The Post and Telegraph administration ran its own telegraph factory in Istanbul from 1869, which made telegraph instruments, batteries and postal goods.2,3 In career records transcribed from the registers the same title also names posts of the indirect-tax administration (Rüsumat), at Dimetoka in 1874 and Üsküp in 1880,4,5 and at Antakya the post of official of a tobacco factory (duhan fabrikası) in 1880 to 1882.6
History
The factory grew out of the repair shops of the central telegraph office in Istanbul,7,2 or by another account out of the practice laboratory of the telegraph school of 1861.8 In 1871 three people worked there, one of them its head, Besim Bey, and two years later eleven,2,9 and by 1915 over a hundred.2,10 Up to 1918 it made more than five thousand telegraph machines and many batteries,11,2 and its machines were shown at the exhibitions of Vienna in 1884, Chicago in 1893 and Turin in 1911 and won prizes.2,11
Notes
- Not stated in the sources read; inferred from the words of the title.
- Davison, Roderic H. (2003). Osmanlı İmparatorluğuna elektrikli telgrafın girişi. Translated by Durdu Mehmet Burak. OTAM 14, 347-386. The Turkish translation of The advent of the electric telegraph in the Ottoman Empire, in Essays in Ottoman and Turkish History, 1774-1923 (Austin: University of Texas Press, 1990), 133-165; pages are those of the translation, p. 365.
- Okan, Ayşegül (2003). The Ottoman postal and telegraph services in the last quarter of the nineteenth century. MA thesis, Boğaziçi University, Atatürk Institute for Modern Turkish History, pp. 30, 108.
- Edemen, Sibel (2025). Sicill-i Ahval defterlerine göre Dimetokalı memurlar. MA thesis, Osmaniye Korkut Ata University (YÖK thesis no. 934452), p. 91. Online copy (read 14 October 2026).
- Diloğlu, Halenur (2021). Sicill-i Ahval kayıtlarına göre Üsküp doğumlu memurlar. MA thesis, Balıkesir University (YÖK thesis no. 703412), p. 74. Online copy (read 14 October 2026).
- Çetin, Nazir (2015). Sicill-i Ahval defterlerine göre Antakyalı devlet memurları, 1879-1909. MA thesis, Gaziosmanpaşa University (YÖK thesis no. 399479), p. 71. Online copy (read 14 October 2026).
- Bektaş, Yakup (2000). The Sultan's messenger: cultural constructions of Ottoman telegraphy, 1847-1880. Technology and Culture 41 (4), 669-696, p. 688.
- Ata, Bahri (2022). Telgraf Mektebi. Türk Maarif Ansiklopedisi, paragraph beginning ‘Telgraf Mektebi'nin uygulama’. Online copy (read 14 October 2026).
- Akyıldız, Hacı Ömer (2024). Modernleşme döneminde Osmanlı memurları: posta ve telgraf çalışanları üzerine ampirik bir analiz. Doctoral thesis, Marmara University (YÖK thesis no. 910026), p. 52. Online copy (read 14 October 2026).
- Okan (2003), p. 30.
- Okan (2003), p. 108.
Each statement above ends with the number of its note, which gives the work and the page or paragraph it comes from. A note that says "inferred" marks a statement that no source read states.
Monthly salary each year
The same numbers as a table
| Year | Recorded salaries | Median | Mean | Lower quartile | Upper quartile | Median of the whole collection |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1874/75 | 2 | 450 | 450 | 425 | 475 | 535 |
| 1875/76 | 2 | 450 | 450 | 425 | 475 | 530 |
| 1876/77 | 3 | 400 | 433.33 | 400 | 450 | 575 |
| 1877/78 | 7 | 400 | 334.29 | 250 | 425 | 560 |
| 1878 | 7 | 400 | 330 | 260 | 425 | 600 |
| 1878/79 | 6 | 425 | 370 | 250 | 450 | 600 |
| 1879/80 | 6 | 400 | 345 | 250 | 437.5 | 500 |
| 1880/81 | 8 | 300 | 293.75 | 150 | 450 | 500 |
| 1881/82 | 6 | 375 | 318.33 | 187.5 | 450 | 500 |
| 1882/83 | 6 | 375 | 328.33 | 225 | 450 | 500 |
| 1883/84 | 6 | 425 | 346.67 | 250 | 450 | 500 |
| 1884/85 | 6 | 425 | 350 | 250 | 450 | 500 |
| 1885/86 | 7 | 400 | 388.57 | 375 | 475 | 500 |
| 1886/87 | 7 | 450 | 401.43 | 375 | 475 | 500 |
| 1887/88 | 7 | 450 | 428.57 | 375 | 475 | 500 |
| 1888/89 | 9 | 450 | 446.67 | 400 | 500 | 500 |
| 1889/90 | 9 | 450 | 456.67 | 400 | 500 | 500 |
| 1890/91 | 9 | 450 | 466.67 | 400 | 500 | 500 |
| 1891/92 | 10 | 450 | 462 | 400 | 500 | 500 |
| 1892/93 | 11 | 500 | 490 | 400 | 500 | 500 |
| 1893/94 | 16 | 500 | 532.5 | 437.5 | 600 | 500 |
| 1894/95 | 16 | 500 | 536.25 | 437.5 | 600 | 500 |
| 1895/96 | 15 | 500 | 540 | 435 | 600 | 500 |
| 1896/97 | 15 | 500 | 519.6 | 450 | 540 | 500 |
| 1897/98 | 15 | 500 | 520.27 | 450 | 540 | 500 |
| 1898/99 | 13 | 504 | 540.31 | 450 | 600 | 500 |
| 1899/1900 | 13 | 554 | 586.46 | 450 | 640 | 500 |
| 1900/01 | 11 | 554 | 594 | 472.5 | 635 | 500 |
| 1901/02 | 10 | 600 | 618.4 | 509.75 | 637.5 | 500 |
| 1902/03 | 10 | 600 | 618.4 | 509.75 | 637.5 | 500 |
| 1903/04 | 9 | 630 | 683.78 | 554 | 800 | 475 |
| 1904/05 | 5 | 554 | 552.8 | 520 | 600 | 450 |
| 1905/06 | 3 | 554 | 564.67 | 527 | 597 | 475 |
| 1906/07 | 1 | 640 | 640 | 640 | 640 | 450 |
Salaries are nominal monthly amounts in kuruş, as assigned. The thick line is the median of each year and the thin line the mean. A year with fewer than 5 recorded salaries is drawn as an open mark and is not joined to the line.
Pay against the whole collection
21 officials with a salary, each counted once in the band of the median of the official's salaries in this job. A bar runs from its number to the next; the last is 2,500 kuruş and more. Most officials (38%) are in the band 400 to 500 kuruş.
The same numbers as a table
| Median monthly salary, kuruş | Officials | Share | Whole collection |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 to 100 | 0 | 0% | 3% |
| 100 to 200 | 2 | 10% | 10% |
| 200 to 300 | 0 | 0% | 17% |
| 300 to 400 | 3 | 14% | 18% |
| 400 to 500 | 8 | 38% | 17% |
| 500 to 750 | 7 | 33% | 23% |
| 750 to 1,000 | 1 | 5% | 5% |
| 1,000 to 1,500 | 0 | 0% | 4% |
| 1,500 to 2,500 | 0 | 0% | 2% |
| 2,500 and more | 0 | 0% | 1% |
The median of the 286 recorded monthly salaries of this job is 477.5 kuruş. In the same years the whole collection paid a median of 500 kuruş. The median entry paid 0.93× the collection median of its year, and the middle half of the entries between 0.8× and 1.16×. On average an official of this job was paid more than 45% of the other paid officials of the same year.
The dot is the median, the box the middle half of the entries. Dashed lines: the collection median of the same years (1×) and the middle of the paid officials (50%).
Where the job was held
| Place | Officials | Remark |
|---|---|---|
| Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 18 | |
| Darıca | 1 | |
| Karamürsel | 1 | |
| Üsküdar | 1 |
Career paths: the titles just before and after
The number is the officials who made the move. Under it, the median change of the monthly salary: the first salary of the later title less the last salary of the earlier one, where at least 5 moves have both.
Held just before
The title of the entries just before a run of Fabrika Memuru. Pay: the change on moving from that title to Fabrika Memuru. The 7 titles with most officials, of 8 moves in all.
Held just after
The title of the entries just after a run of Fabrika Memuru. Pay: the change on moving from Fabrika Memuru to that title. The 5 titles with most officials, of 10 moves in all.
Of the 18 moves shown, 6 cross at least one year without an annual entry; nothing is known about those years. Two posts held in the same years are not counted as a move.
Time in the job
- Years with an entry in the job
- 12 yearsmedian over 21 officials
- A quarter of the officials
- 19 years or moreupper quartile
- Most years of one official
- 31 years
Years are years with an annual entry in the job, each counted once for an official. They need not follow one another, and nothing is known about a year without an entry. With two posts in the first or last year, both count.
Who held the job
Officials of this jobWhole collection
Community
21 officials with it recorded.
Age at the first annual entry in the job
21 officials with it recorded.
Province of birth
21 officials with it recorded.
Schooling
21 officials with it recorded. An official can have several, so the shares add up to more than 100%. The groups of the schools recorded for each official.
Languages
21 officials with it recorded. An official can have several, so the shares add up to more than 100%.
Qualification
21 officials with it recorded. A diploma, certificate, training or decoration (nişan) recorded in the schooling or the work.
Officials on record each year
The same numbers as a table
| Year | Officials on record | First recorded | Annual entries |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1874/75 (AH 1291) | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| 1875/76 (AH 1292) | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 1876/77 (AH 1293) | 3 | 1 | 3 |
| 1877/78 (AH 1294) | 7 | 4 | 7 |
| 1878 (AH 1295) | 7 | 2 | 7 |
| 1878/79 (AH 1296) | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| 1879/80 (AH 1297) | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| 1880/81 (AH 1298) | 8 | 2 | 8 |
| 1881/82 (AH 1299) | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| 1882/83 (AH 1300) | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| 1883/84 (AH 1301) | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| 1884/85 (AH 1302) | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| 1885/86 (AH 1303) | 7 | 1 | 7 |
| 1886/87 (AH 1304) | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| 1887/88 (AH 1305) | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| 1888/89 (AH 1306) | 9 | 2 | 9 |
| 1889/90 (AH 1307) | 9 | 0 | 9 |
| 1890/91 (AH 1308) | 9 | 0 | 9 |
| 1891/92 (AH 1309) | 10 | 1 | 10 |
| 1892/93 (AH 1310) | 11 | 1 | 11 |
| 1893/94 (AH 1311) | 16 | 5 | 16 |
| 1894/95 (AH 1312) | 16 | 0 | 16 |
| 1895/96 (AH 1313) | 15 | 0 | 15 |
| 1896/97 (AH 1314) | 15 | 0 | 15 |
| 1897/98 (AH 1315) | 15 | 0 | 15 |
| 1898/99 (AH 1316) | 13 | 0 | 13 |
| 1899/1900 (AH 1317) | 13 | 0 | 13 |
| 1900/01 (AH 1318) | 11 | 0 | 11 |
| 1901/02 (AH 1319) | 10 | 0 | 10 |
| 1902/03 (AH 1320) | 10 | 0 | 10 |
| 1903/04 (AH 1321) | 9 | 0 | 9 |
| 1904/05 (AH 1322) | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| 1905/06 (AH 1323) | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| 1906/07 (AH 1324) | 1 | 0 | 1 |
An official is counted once in a year. First recorded is the first year in which the collection has an annual entry of the official on this page. It is not a hiring date.
Places
| Place | Province | Officials | Annual entries | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Istanbul (Dersaadet) | Istanbul (Dersaadet) province | 18 | 270 | 1874 to 1906 |
| Üsküdar | Istanbul (Dersaadet) province | 1 | 14 | 1893 to 1907 |
| Darıca | Istanbul (Dersaadet) province | 1 | 1 | 1880/81 |
| Karamürsel | İzmit province | 1 | 1 | 1877/78 |
Ottoman officials recorded
21 officials, the one with most annual entries first.
Years run from the first to the last annual entry. An official without a recorded name is listed after the named officials.
How to read these records: years and calendars, what first recorded means, gaps between annual entries, and salaries.
Subjects
- Factory official (Fabrika Memuru)
- Ottoman job titles (Osmanlı memuriyet unvanları)
- Labour history (emek tarihi)
- Salaries of officials (memur maaşları)
- Ottoman history (Osmanlı tarihi)
- Ottoman bureaucracy (Osmanlı bürokrasisi)
- Ottoman officials (Osmanlı'da memurlar)
- Ottoman personnel registers (Sicill-i Ahvâl defterleri)
- Ottoman registers (Osmanlı defterleri)