Official
Yusuf Efendi
Muslim (Müslüman). Born in Sofia (Sofya) in 1849/50 (AH 1266). On record 1869 to 1904, 35 annual entries.
Archive reference 0034_0208; 413
Life#
Yusuf Efendi was born in Sofia (Sofya) in 1849/50 (AH 1266) into the Muslim (Müslüman) community; the father's occupation was "Menzilci". Schooling took seven years, at a middle school (Rüşdiye Mektebi); Yusuf also wrote Turkish and spoke Bulgarian.
Work began in Sofia in 1866/67, at about 16, with three unpaid years as a mülazım (apprentice) before a first salary of 300 kuruş. The annual lists begin in 1869/70, with Yusuf as a communications official (Muhabere Memuru) in Sofia, the birthplace. Next came Niš (Niş) from 1870 to 1873, then a return to Sofia from 1873 to 1877. The annual lists then follow Yusuf to Zincirlikuyu in 1878 and Çorlu in 1878/79. From 1879 to 1904 the annual entries place Yusuf in Edirne, first as a central office official (Merkez Memuru), from 1887/88 as a chief official (Başmemur) and from 1894/95 as a chief director (Başmüdür).
The salary went from 300 kuruş a month in 1869/70 to 2,500 in 1894/95, the peak, as Başmüdür in Edirne, when 97 per cent of paid officials earned less. Over 35 years the salaries add up to 488,160 kuruş, 2.2 times what an official on the median salary earned, a level reached by fewer than 8 per cent of the 3,805 officials paid for five years or more. 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 1849/50 (AH 1266); First work 1866/67 (AH 1283); 1869/70 (AH 1286)
300 kuruş a month; entries in 1 year
1873 to 1877 (AH 1290 to 1293)
400 to 600 kuruş a month; entries in 4 years
1878 (AH 1295)
No annual entry for 1877/78 (AH 1294) before it.
600 kuruş a month; entries in 1 year
1879 to 1904 (AH 1297 to 1321)
Merkez Memuru 1879 to 1887 (AH 1297 to 1304); Başmemur 1887 to 1894 (AH 1305 to 1311); Başmüdür 1894 to 1904 (AH 1312 to 1321)
500 to 2,500 kuruş a month; entries in 25 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1869/70 | 300 | 600 | 400 | 12% |
| 1870/71 | 400 | 600 | 400 | 20% |
| 1871/72 | 380 | 550 | 400 | 20% |
| 1872/73 | 400 | 550 | 400 | 26% |
| 1873/74 | 400 | 500 | 400 | 24% |
| 1874/75 | 400 | 535 | 450 | 23% |
| 1875/76 | 400 | 530 | 400 | 23% |
| 1876/77 | 600 | 582.5 | 410 | 50% |
| 1878 | 600 | 600 | 450 | 46% |
| 1878/79 | 600 | 600 | 420 | 47% |
| 1879/80 | 500 | 500 | 500 | 47% |
| 1880/81 | 600 | 500 | 475 | 60% |
| 1881/82 | 600 | 500 | 520 | 60% |
| 1882/83 | 600 | 500 | 585 | 59% |
| 1883/84 | 600 | 500 | 540 | 59% |
| 1884/85 | 600 | 500 | 550 | 59% |
| 1885/86 | 600 | 500 | 560 | 58% |
| 1886/87 | 600 | 500 | 540 | 59% |
| 1887/88 | 1,000 | 500 | 600 | 83% |
| 1888/89 | 1,000 | 500 | 670 | 84% |
| 1889/90 | 1,000 | 500 | 600 | 85% |
| 1890/91 | 1,000 | 500 | 600 | 86% |
| 1891/92 | 1,000 | 500 | 700 | 86% |
| 1892/93 | 1,000 | 500 | 700 | 87% |
| 1893/94 | 1,000 | 500 | 725 | 87% |
| 1894/95 | 2,500 | 500 | 2,850 | 97% |
| 1895/96 | 2,500 | 500 | 2,825 | 97% |
| 1896/97 | 2,250 | 500 | 2,632.5 | 97% |
| 1897/98 | 2,250 | 500 | 2,632.5 | 97% |
| 1898/99 | 2,500 | 500 | 2,610 | 98% |
| 1899/1900 | 2,500 | 500 | 2,700 | 98% |
| 1900/01 | 2,500 | 500 | 2,610 | 98% |
| 1901/02 | 2,500 | 500 | 2,700 | 97% |
| 1902/03 | 2,500 | 500 | 2,700 | 97% |
| 1903/04 | 2,500 | 475 | 2,650 | 98% |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1866/67AH 1283 | First work | Sofia (Sofya) | 300first-salary field |
| 1869/70AH 1286 | Muhabere Memuru | Sofia (Sofya) | 300 |
| 1870 to 1873AH 1287 to 1289 | Muhabere Memuru | Niš (Niş) | 400 |
| 1873 to 1877AH 1290 to 1293 | Muhabere Memuru | Sofia (Sofya) | 400 to 600 |
| No annual entry: 1877/78 (AH 1294) | |||
| 1878AH 1295 | Memur | Zincirlikuyu | 600 |
| 1878/79AH 1296 | Muhabere Memuru | Çorlu | 600 |
| 1879 to 1887AH 1297 to 1304 | Merkez Memuru | Edirne | 500 to 600 |
| 1887 to 1894AH 1305 to 1311 | Başmemur | Edirne | 1,000 |
| 1894 to 1904AH 1312 to 1321 | Başmüdür | Edirne | 2,500 |
Record#
Personal
- Born
- 1849/50 (AH 1266)
- Birthplace
- Sofia (Sofya)
- Community
- Muslim (Müslüman)
- Nationality as recorded
- Turkish
- Father's occupation
- Menzilci
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
- Bulgarian
- Tekellumspeaking
- Turkish
- Kitabetwriting
The glosses are cautious historical readings of the recorded words, not modern levels of proficiency.
First work
- Year
- 1866/67 (AH 1283)
- Place
- Sofia (Sofya)
- First salary field (kuruş a month)
- 300
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 179 officials with entries in Edirne in the same years, Yusuf Efendi had the 16th highest salary.
- Mehmed Şakir Efendi25 shared years; highest salary 700 kuruş
- Mehmet Tevfik Efendi24 shared years; highest salary 1,300 kuruş
- Salih Hulusi Efendi24 shared years; highest salary 800 kuruş
- Mustafa Raif Efendi23 shared years; highest salary 700 kuruş
- Vasil Karolidi Efendi23 shared years; highest salary 600 kuruş
Same job title, same years
Of the 28 officials with the title Başmüdür in the same years, Yusuf Efendi had the 22nd highest salary.
- Mehmet Şevket Efendi10 shared years; highest salary 4,000 kuruş
- Unnamed official (0002_0176; 350)10 shared years; highest salary 3,500 kuruş
- Ömer Hilmi Efendi10 shared years; highest salary 3,200 kuruş
- Mahmut Hilmi Efendi10 shared years; highest salary 3,000 kuruş
- Unnamed official (0049_0034; 65)10 shared years; highest salary 3,000 kuruş
Same school
Of the 3,206 officials with Rüşdiye Mektebi among their schools, 3,200 have a recorded salary; Yusuf Efendi had the 57th highest salary of them.
- Abdulvahab Efendiborn 1849/50 (AH 1266); highest salary 500 kuruş
- Ahmet Cemal Efendiborn 1849/50 (AH 1266); highest salary 760 kuruş
- Ahmet Halit Efendiborn 1849/50 (AH 1266); highest salary 720 kuruş
- Ahmet Latif Efendiborn 1849/50 (AH 1266); highest salary 800 kuruş
- Ahmet Recai Efendiborn 1849/50 (AH 1266); highest salary 500 kuruş
Same birthplace
Of the 20 officials born in Sofia (Sofya), Yusuf Efendi had the highest salary.
- Ahmet Tevfik Efendiborn 1848/49 (AH 1265); highest salary 950 kuruş
- Ahmet Cevdet Efendiborn 1851/52 (AH 1268); highest salary 450 kuruş
- Hasan Sezai Efendiborn 1851/52 (AH 1268); highest salary 1,000 kuruş
- Hasan Hami Efendiborn 1853/54 (AH 1270); highest salary 1,200 kuruş
- Mehmed Zühtü Efendiborn 1853/54 (AH 1270); highest salary 1,200 kuruş
First annual entry in the same year
Of the 116 officials whose first annual entry is for 1869/70 (AH 1286), Yusuf Efendi had the 9th highest salary.
- Ahmet Tevfik Efendifirst entry in Sofia (Sofya); highest salary 950 kuruş
- Ahmet Halit Efendifirst entry in Aydın; highest salary 720 kuruş
- Ali Beyfirst entry in Samsun; highest salary 2,400 kuruş
- İbrahim Hakkı Efendifirst entry in Tekirdağ; highest salary 1,000 kuruş
- Ömer Adil Efendifirst entry in Mersin; highest salary 860 kuruş
Full record
Annual entries (35)
| Year | Title | Place | Kuruş a month | Institution | Source | Archive reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1869/70AH 1286 | Muhabere Memuru | Sofia (Sofya) | 300 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0208; 413 |
| 1870/71AH 1287 | Muhabere Memuru | Niš (Niş) | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0208; 413 |
| 1871/72AH 1288 | Muhabere Memuru | Niš (Niş) | 380 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0208; 413 |
| 1872/73AH 1289 | Muhabere Memuru | Niš (Niş) | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0208; 413 |
| 1873/74AH 1290 | Muhabere Memuru | Sofia (Sofya) | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0208; 413 |
| 1874/75AH 1291 | Muhabere Memuru | Sofia (Sofya) | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0208; 413 |
| 1875/76AH 1292 | Muhabere Memuru | Sofia (Sofya) | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0208; 413 |
| 1876/77AH 1293 | Muhabere Memuru | Sofia (Sofya) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0208; 413 |
| 1878AH 1295 | Memur | Zincirlikuyu | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0208; 413 |
| 1878/79AH 1296 | Muhabere Memuru | Çorlu | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0208; 413 |
| 1879/80AH 1297 | Merkez Memuru | Edirne | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0208; 413 |
| 1880/81AH 1298 | Merkez Memuru | Edirne | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0208; 413 |
| 1881/82AH 1299 | Merkez Memuru | Edirne | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0208; 413 |
| 1882/83AH 1300 | Merkez Memuru | Edirne | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0208; 413 |
| 1883/84AH 1301 | Merkez Memuru | Edirne | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0208; 413 |
| 1884/85AH 1302 | Merkez Memuru | Edirne | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0208; 413 |
| 1885/86AH 1303 | Merkez Memuru | Edirne | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0208; 413 |
| 1886/87AH 1304 | Merkez Memuru | Edirne | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0208; 413 |
| 1887/88AH 1305 | Başmemur | Edirne | 1,000 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0208; 413 |
| 1888/89AH 1306 | Başmemur | Edirne | 1,000 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0208; 413 |
| 1889/90AH 1307 | Başmemur | Edirne | 1,000 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0208; 413 |
| 1890/91AH 1308 | Başmemur | Edirne | 1,000 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0208; 413 |
| 1891/92AH 1309 | Başmemur | Edirne | 1,000 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0208; 413 |
| 1892/93AH 1310 | Başmemur | Edirne | 1,000 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0208; 413 |
| 1893/94AH 1311 | Başmemur | Edirne | 1,000 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0208; 413 |
| 1894/95AH 1312 | Başmüdür | Edirne | 2,500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0208; 413 |
| 1895/96AH 1313 | Başmüdür | Edirne | 2,500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0208; 413 |
| 1896/97AH 1314 | Başmüdür | Edirne | 2,250 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0208; 413 |
| 1897/98AH 1315 | Başmüdür | Edirne | 2,250 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0208; 413 |
| 1898/99AH 1316 | Başmüdür | Edirne | 2,500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0208; 413 |
| 1899/1900AH 1317 | Başmüdür | Edirne | 2,500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0208; 413 |
| 1900/01AH 1318 | Başmüdür | Edirne | 2,500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0208; 413 |
| 1901/02AH 1319 | Başmüdür | Edirne | 2,500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0208; 413 |
| 1902/03AH 1320 | Başmüdür | Edirne | 2,500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0208; 413 |
| 1903/04AH 1321 | Başmüdür | Edirne | 2,500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0208; 413 |
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 | Yusuf Efendi | Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Birth year (AH) | 1266 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Birthplace | sofya | 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 | menzilci | 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) | 1283 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First work: Gregorian year as stored | 1866 | Recovered annual personnel extract |
| First work: place | Sofya | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First salary field (kuruş a month) | 300 | 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.
- 34 annual entries of 35 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
- Yusuf Efendi
- Chief director (Başmüdür)
- Edirne
- Sofia (Sofya)
- 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)