Official
Ahmet Lütfi Efendi
Muslim (Müslüman). Born in Targovishte (Eski Cuma) in 1860/61 (AH 1277). On record 1883 to 1904, 20 annual entries.
Archive reference 0084_0173; 341
Life#
Born in Targovishte (Eski Cuma) in 1860/61 (AH 1277) into the Muslim (Müslüman) community, Ahmet Lütfi Efendi was the child of a sergeant (çavuş). Ahmet Lütfi had seven years of schooling, at a middle school (Rüşdiye Mektebi).
Work began in Samsun in 1880/81, at about 20, with three unpaid years as a mülazım (apprentice) before a first salary of 400 kuruş. The first annual entry, for 1883/84, places Ahmet Lütfi in Tokat as a communications official (Muhabere Memuru). Next came Erzincan from 1885 to 1887, then Erzurum from 1887 to 1893. Ahmet Lütfi then moved to Erduse from 1893 to 1899, then Divriği, Salihli and Sivas from 1899 to 1902. The last post was in Sivrihisar in 1903/04, with a rise to director of the third grade (3. Müdür).
Pay rose from 400 kuruş a month in 1883/84 to a peak of 600 in 1893/94, as 3. Müdür in Erduse, when 60 per cent of paid officials earned less. Over 20 years the salaries add up to 122,100 kuruş, about what an official on the median salary earned. The last annual entry is for 1903/04.
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 1860/61 (AH 1277)
First work 1880/81 (AH 1298)
1903/04 (AH 1321)
No annual entry for 1902/03 (AH 1320) before it.
600 kuruş a month; entries in 1 year
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1883/84 | 400 | 500 | 400 | 27% |
| 1884/85 | 400 | 500 | 400 | 27% |
| 1885/86 | 400 | 500 | 400 | 27% |
| 1886/87 | 400 | 500 | 400 | 27% |
| 1887/88 | 500 | 500 | 400 | 41% |
| 1888/89 | 500 | 500 | 400 | 41% |
| 1889/90 | 500 | 500 | 400 | 42% |
| 1890/91 | 500 | 500 | 400 | 43% |
| 1891/92 | 500 | 500 | 400 | 43% |
| 1892/93 | 500 | 500 | 400 | 44% |
| 1893/94 | 600 | 500 | 600 | 60% |
| 1894/95 | 600 | 500 | 600 | 60% |
| 1895/96 | 600 | 500 | 600 | 59% |
| 1896/97 | 540 | 500 | 540 | 61% |
| 1897/98 | 540 | 500 | 540 | 61% |
| 1898/99 | 540 | 500 | 540 | 61% |
| 1899/1900 | 540 | 500 | 540 | 60% |
| 1900/01 | 540 | 500 | 540 | 59% |
| 1901/02 | 475 | 500 | 400 | 47% |
| 1903/04 | 600 | 475 | 540 | 67% |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1880/81AH 1298 | First work | Samsun | 400first-salary field |
| 1883 to 1885AH 1301 to 1302 | Muhabere Memuru | Tokat | 400 |
| 1885 to 1887AH 1303 to 1304 | Muhabere Memuru | Erzincan | 400 |
| 1887 to 1893AH 1305 to 1310 | Muhabere Memuru | Erzurum | 500 |
| 1893 to 1899AH 1311 to 1316 | 3. Müdür | Erduse | 600 to 540 |
| 1899/1900AH 1317 | 3. Müdür | Divriği | 540 |
| 1900/01AH 1318 | 3. Müdür | Salihli | 540 |
| 1901/02AH 1319 | Muhabere Memuru | Sivas | 475 |
| No annual entry: 1902/03 (AH 1320) | |||
| 1903/04AH 1321 | 3. Müdür | Sivrihisar | 600 |
Record#
Personal
- Born
- 1860/61 (AH 1277)
- Birthplace
- Targovishte (Eski Cuma)
- Community
- Muslim (Müslüman)
- Nationality as recorded
- Turkish
- Father's occupation
- cavus
Education
- Rüşdiye
- Rüşdiye Mektebi (7 years)rüşdiye school (middle school)
- Unpaid years (mülazemet)
- 3 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
- 1880/81 (AH 1298)
- Place
- Samsun
- First salary field (kuruş a month)
- 400
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 25 officials with entries in Erzurum in the same years, Ahmet Lütfi Efendi had the 15th highest salary.
- Ahmet İsmet Efendi6 shared years; highest salary 4,400 kuruş
- İsmail Hakkı Efendi6 shared years; highest salary 1,200 kuruş
- Abdullah Talat Efendi6 shared years; highest salary 800 kuruş
- Mihail Deveciyanis Efendi6 shared years; highest salary 660 kuruş
- Ali Rıza Efendi6 shared years; highest salary 600 kuruş
Same job title, same years
Of the 1,734 officials with the title Muhabere Memuru in the same years, Ahmet Lütfi Efendi had the 596th highest salary.
- Mehmet Arif Efendi11 shared years; highest salary 3,600 kuruş
- Mehmet Hulusi Bey11 shared years; highest salary 2,600 kuruş
- Mehmet Tevfik Efendi11 shared years; highest salary 1,500 kuruş
- Nikola Yunani Efendi11 shared years; highest salary 1,350 kuruş
- Mehmet Nazım Efendi11 shared years; highest salary 1,300 kuruş
Same school
Of the 3,206 officials with Rüşdiye Mektebi among their schools, 3,200 have a recorded salary; Ahmet Lütfi Efendi had the 852nd highest salary of them.
- Abbas Efendiborn 1860/61 (AH 1277); highest salary 810 kuruş
- Abdulkerim Efendiborn 1860/61 (AH 1277); highest salary 900 kuruş
- Abdullah Kemali Efendiborn 1860/61 (AH 1277); highest salary 700 kuruş
- Abdullah Sevki Efendiborn 1860/61 (AH 1277); highest salary 640 kuruş
- Ahmet Bican Efendiborn 1860/61 (AH 1277); highest salary 450 kuruş
Same birthplace
Of the 2 officials born in Targovishte (Eski Cuma), Ahmet Lütfi Efendi had the highest salary.
- Mehmet Nuri Efendiborn 1860/61 (AH 1277); highest salary 600 kuruş
The page of Targovishte (Eski Cuma), with the 2 officials born there
First annual entry in the same year
Of the 80 officials whose first annual entry is for 1883/84 (AH 1301), Ahmet Lütfi Efendi had the 33rd highest salary.
- Anastaş Efendifirst entry in Thessaloniki (Selanik); highest salary 630 kuruş
- Hasan Kadri Efendifirst entry in Ergani; highest salary 740 kuruş
- Kostantin Eminyan Efendifirst entry in Tripoli (Trablusgarp); highest salary 650 kuruş
- Mustafa Efendifirst entry in Şanlıurfa (Urfa); highest salary 400 kuruş
- Mustafa Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 800 kuruş
Full record
Annual entries (20)
| Year | Title | Place | Kuruş a month | Institution | Source | Archive reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1883/84AH 1301 | Muhabere Memuru | Tokat | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0084_0173; 341 |
| 1884/85AH 1302 | Muhabere Memuru | Tokat | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0084_0173; 341 |
| 1885/86AH 1303 | Muhabere Memuru | Erzincan | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0084_0173; 341 |
| 1886/87AH 1304 | Muhabere Memuru | Erzincan | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0084_0173; 341 |
| 1887/88AH 1305 | Muhabere Memuru | Erzurum | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0084_0173; 341 |
| 1888/89AH 1306 | Muhabere Memuru | Erzurum | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0084_0173; 341 |
| 1889/90AH 1307 | Muhabere Memuru | Erzurum | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0084_0173; 341 |
| 1890/91AH 1308 | Muhabere Memuru | Erzurum | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0084_0173; 341 |
| 1891/92AH 1309 | Muhabere Memuru | Erzurum | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0084_0173; 341 |
| 1892/93AH 1310 | Muhabere Memuru | Erzurum | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0084_0173; 341 |
| 1893/94AH 1311 | 3. Müdür | Erduse | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0084_0173; 341 |
| 1894/95AH 1312 | 3. Müdür | Erduse | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0084_0173; 341 |
| 1895/96AH 1313 | 3. Müdür | Erduse | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0084_0173; 341 |
| 1896/97AH 1314 | 3. Müdür | Erduse | 540 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0084_0173; 341 |
| 1897/98AH 1315 | 3. Müdür | Erduse | 540 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0084_0173; 341 |
| 1898/99AH 1316 | 3. Müdür | Erduse | 540 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0084_0173; 341 |
| 1899/1900AH 1317 | 3. Müdür | Divriği | 540 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0084_0173; 341 |
| 1900/01AH 1318 | 3. Müdür | Salihli | 540 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0084_0173; 341 |
| 1901/02AH 1319 | Muhabere Memuru | Sivas | 475 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0084_0173; 341 |
| 1903/04AH 1321 | 3. Müdür | Sivrihisar | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0084_0173; 341 |
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 | Ahmet Lütfi Efendi | Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Birth year (AH) | 1277 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Birthplace | cumai atik | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Province of birth | tuna | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Father's occupation | cavus | 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) | 3 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First work | ||
| First work: year (AH) | 1298 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First work: Gregorian year as stored | 1881 | Recovered annual personnel extract |
| First work: place | Samsun | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First salary field (kuruş a month) | 400 | 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.
- 20 annual entries of 20 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
- Ahmet Lütfi Efendi
- Communications official (Muhabere Memuru)
- Erzurum
- Targovishte (Eski Cuma)
- 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)