Official
Mehmet Ali Efendi
Muslim (Müslüman). Born in Akşehir in 1865/66 (AH 1282). On record 1888 to 1905, 17 annual entries.
Archive reference 54_212; 421
Life#
Born in Akşehir in 1865/66 (AH 1282) into the Muslim (Müslüman) community, Mehmet Ali Efendi was the child of a farmer (çiftçi). Schooling took seven years, at a middle school (Rüşdiye Mektebi).
Work began in Istanbul in 1882/83, at about 17, paid from the start, on 100 kuruş a month. The annual lists begin in 1888/89, with Mehmet Ali in the correspondence office (Tahrirat Kalemi) in Istanbul, where the entries run to 1896/97, with a rise to official for incoming items (Mevrude Memuru) in 1890/91. Mehmet Ali then moved to Thessaloniki (Selanik) from 1897 to 1901, with a rise to travelling postal official (Seyyar Memur) in 1897/98. The last posts were in Istanbul again from 1901 to 1905.
The salary went from 100 kuruş a month in 1888/89 to 700 in 1903/04, the peak, as Seyyar Memur in Istanbul, when three in four paid officials earned less. The final annual entry is for 1904/05.
Places in order of time#
Each number is a stop: the birthplace, the place of first work, then every place of the annual entries in turn. The year beside an arrow is the first entry at the new place.
Born 1865/66 (AH 1282)
First work 1882/83 (AH 1300); 1888 to 1897 (AH 1306 to 1314)
Tahrirat Kalemi 1888 to 1890 (AH 1306 to 1307); Mevrude Memuru 1890 to 1897 (AH 1308 to 1314)
100 to 330 kuruş a month; entries in 9 years
1897 to 1901 (AH 1315 to 1318)
675 kuruş a month; entries in 4 years
1901 to 1905 (AH 1319 to 1322)
675 to 700 kuruş a month; entries in 4 years
Career and salary#
Log scale: equal steps are equal ratios. The median of the same title is drawn for the years in which at least 5 officials with that title had a salary.
The numbers of the chart
| Year | Salary | Median, all officials | Median, same title | Paid less |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1888/89 | 100 | 500 | 600 | 0% |
| 1889/90 | 200 | 500 | 500 | 7% |
| 1890/91 | 300 | 500 | 300 | 15% |
| 1891/92 | 300 | 500 | 312.5 | 16% |
| 1892/93 | 300 | 500 | 300 | 17% |
| 1893/94 | 300 | 500 | 312.5 | 17% |
| 1894/95 | 300 | 500 | 325 | 17% |
| 1895/96 | 330 | 500 | 327.5 | 24% |
| 1896/97 | 330 | 500 | 300 | 26% |
| 1897/98 | 675 | 500 | 600 | 77% |
| 1898/99 | 675 | 500 | 575 | 76% |
| 1899/1900 | 675 | 500 | 540 | 75% |
| 1900/01 | 675 | 500 | 600 | 74% |
| 1901/02 | 675 | 500 | 600 | 74% |
| 1902/03 | 675 | 500 | 600 | 74% |
| 1903/04 | 700 | 475 | 675 | 75% |
| 1904/05 | 700 | 450 | 600 | 75% |
Paid less: the share of the other officials with a salary that year who earned less.
Point at a year for its salary, title, place and the median of all officials paid that year. Choose a row of the table to mark its years in the charts and its stop on the map.
| Years | Title | Place | Salary (kuruş a month) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1882/83AH 1300 | First work | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 100first-salary field |
| 1888 to 1890AH 1306 to 1307 | Tahrirat Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 100 to 200 |
| 1890 to 1897AH 1308 to 1314 | Mevrude Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 300 to 330 |
| 1897 to 1901AH 1315 to 1318 | Seyyar Memur | Thessaloniki (Selanik) | 675 |
| 1901 to 1905AH 1319 to 1322 | Seyyar Memur | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 675 to 700 |
Record#
Personal
- Born
- 1865/66 (AH 1282)
- Birthplace
- Akşehir
- Community
- Muslim (Müslüman)
- Nationality as recorded
- Turkish
- Father's occupation
- ciftci
Education
- Rüşdiye
- Rüşdiye Mektebi (7 years)rüşdiye school (middle school)
- Unpaid years (mülazemet)
- 0 years
- Preparation route (classification of the paper)
- Low
- Qualification (diploma, certificate, training or nişan)
- No
The years count all schooling up to that school, as the record gives them.
Languages
- Turkish
- Kitabetwriting
The glosses are cautious historical readings of the recorded words, not modern levels of proficiency.
First work
- Year
- 1882/83 (AH 1300)
- Place
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- First salary field (kuruş a month)
- 100
Recorded with#
Officials who share a place, a job title, a school, a birthplace or the year of the first annual entry. Ranks compare the highest monthly salary of each official.
Same place, same years
Of the 1,173 officials with entries in Istanbul in the same years, Mehmet Ali Efendi had the 484th highest salary.
- Salahattin Bey13 shared years; highest salary 7,800 kuruş
- Suleyman Resat Bey13 shared years; highest salary 7,000 kuruş
- Mehmet Hayri Bey13 shared years; highest salary 5,500 kuruş
- Melkok Efendi13 shared years; highest salary 5,000 kuruş
- Dikran Efendi13 shared years; highest salary 4,500 kuruş
Same job title, same years
Of the 154 officials with the title Seyyar Memur in the same years, Mehmet Ali Efendi had the 69th highest salary.
- Ahmet Bahaattin Efendi8 shared years; highest salary 1,500 kuruş
- Mehmet İzzet Efendi8 shared years; highest salary 1,000 kuruş
- Osman Nuri Efendi8 shared years; highest salary 850 kuruş
- Ömer Fevzi Efendi8 shared years; highest salary 800 kuruş
- Süleyman Efendi8 shared years; highest salary 800 kuruş
Same school
Of the 3,206 officials with Rüşdiye Mektebi among their schools, 3,200 have a recorded salary; Mehmet Ali Efendi had the 729th highest salary of them.
- Abdulkadir Efendiborn 1865/66 (AH 1282); highest salary 750 kuruş
- Abdullah Sıtkı Efendiborn 1865/66 (AH 1282); highest salary 500 kuruş
- Abdurrahman Faik Efendiborn 1865/66 (AH 1282); highest salary 300 kuruş
- Abdurrahman Feyzi Efendiborn 1865/66 (AH 1282); highest salary 720 kuruş
- Ahmet Şefik Efendiborn 1865/66 (AH 1282); highest salary 600 kuruş
Same birthplace
Of the 3 officials born in Akşehir, Mehmet Ali Efendi had the 2nd highest salary.
- Halil Kamil Efendiborn 1864/65 (AH 1281); highest salary 1,800 kuruş
- Veli Efendiborn 1875/76 (AH 1292); highest salary 500 kuruş
First annual entry in the same year
Of the 114 officials whose first annual entry is for 1888/89 (AH 1306), 113 have a recorded salary; Mehmet Ali Efendi had the 36th highest salary of them.
- Mustafa Lütfi Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 500 kuruş
- Hasan Muhlis Beyfirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 60 kuruş
- Mehmet Dürri Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 75 kuruş
- Mehmet Nuri Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 300 kuruş
- Mehmet Kadri Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 775 kuruş
Full record
Annual entries (17)
| Year | Title | Place | Kuruş a month | Institution | Source | Archive reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1888/89AH 1306 | Tahrirat Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 100 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_212; 421 |
| 1889/90AH 1307 | Tahrirat Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 200 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_212; 421 |
| 1890/91AH 1308 | Mevrude Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 300 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_212; 421 |
| 1891/92AH 1309 | Mevrude Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 300 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_212; 421 |
| 1892/93AH 1310 | Mevrude Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 300 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_212; 421 |
| 1893/94AH 1311 | Mevrude Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 300 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_212; 421 |
| 1894/95AH 1312 | Mevrude Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 300 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_212; 421 |
| 1895/96AH 1313 | Mevrude Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 330 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_212; 421 |
| 1896/97AH 1314 | Mevrude Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 330 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_212; 421 |
| 1897/98AH 1315 | Seyyar Memur | Thessaloniki (Selanik) | 675 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_212; 421 |
| 1898/99AH 1316 | Seyyar Memur | Thessaloniki (Selanik) | 675 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_212; 421 |
| 1899/1900AH 1317 | Seyyar Memur | Thessaloniki (Selanik) | 675 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_212; 421 |
| 1900/01AH 1318 | Seyyar Memur | Thessaloniki (Selanik) | 675 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_212; 421 |
| 1901/02AH 1319 | Seyyar Memur | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 675 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_212; 421 |
| 1902/03AH 1320 | Seyyar Memur | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 675 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_212; 421 |
| 1903/04AH 1321 | Seyyar Memur | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 700 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_212; 421 |
| 1904/05AH 1322 | Seyyar Memur | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 700 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_212; 421 |
What the sources named in this table are
- Recovered annual personnel extract
- The merged annual personnel file recovered for the replication of the first paper. Annual entries are taken from it for every official it holds.
Sources and original values (14)
| Field | Recorded value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | ||
| Name | Mehmet Ali Efendi | Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Birth year (AH) | 1282 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Birthplace | aksehir | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Province of birth | konya | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Father's occupation | ciftci | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Religion | Musluman | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Nationality or community | Turkish | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Schooling | ||
| School | Rusdiye Mektebi | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Years of schooling | 7 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Years of apprenticeship (mülazemet) | 0 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First work | ||
| First work: year (AH) | 1300 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First work: Gregorian year as stored | 1883 | Recovered annual personnel extract |
| First work: place | istanbul | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First salary field (kuruş a month) | 100 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
What the sources named in this table are
- Earlier annual personnel extract
- The detailed annual personnel file of October 2024. An official found only in this file keeps the years, titles and salaries it gives.
- Recovered annual personnel extract
- The merged annual personnel file recovered for the replication of the first paper. Annual entries are taken from it for every official it holds.
- Personnel attributes extract
- The detailed personnel file of September 2025, read for personal details such as birth, schooling and first work.
- Origin of the record: Post and Telegraph personnel records.
- 17 annual entries of 17 belong to the saved estimation sample of the paper.
How to read this record: calendar years, years without an annual entry, salaries and sources.
Subjects
- Mehmet Ali Efendi
- Travelling postal official (Seyyar Memur)
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- Akşehir
- Rüşdiye school (Rüşdiye Mektebi)
- Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf)
- Muslim (Müslüman)
- Biography of an Ottoman official (Osmanlı memurunun biyografisi)
- Career and pay (memuriyet ve maaş)
- Ottoman history (Osmanlı tarihi)
- Ottoman bureaucracy (Osmanlı bürokrasisi)
- Ottoman officials (Osmanlı'da memurlar)
- Ottoman personnel registers (Sicill-i Ahvâl defterleri)
- Ottoman registers (Osmanlı defterleri)