Official
Mehmet Sabri Efendi
Muslim (Müslüman). Born in Istanbul (Dersaadet) in 1874/75 (AH 1291). On record 1891 to 1907, 13 annual entries.
Archive reference 0087_0116; 229
Life#
Born in Istanbul in 1874/75 (AH 1291) into the Muslim (Müslüman) community, Mehmet Sabri Efendi was the child of a tradesman (esnaf). At about 15, in 1888/89, Mehmet Sabri began work in the Gumruk Kalemi in Istanbul, with three unpaid years as a mülazım (apprentice) before a first salary of 50 kuruş. The annual lists begin in 1891/92, with Mehmet Sabri in the accounts office (Muhasebe Kalemi) in Istanbul, the birthplace. For 1892 to 1894 the lists have no entry. The annual lists then follow Mehmet Sabri to six places in 12 years, with a rise to director of the third grade (3. Müdür) in 1900/01 and to official for foreign communications (Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti) in 1905/06. The last post was in Beyoğlu again in 1906/07. The farthest post, Mecca, lay about 2,400 km from Istanbul, and fewer than 4 per cent of the 5,162 officials with a known birthplace and place of service served as far from the birthplace.
Pay rose from 50 kuruş a month in 1891/92 to a peak of 1,000 in 1905/06, as Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti in Mecca, when 86 per cent of paid officials earned less. That salary was paid for a single year, and the next list gives 250 kuruş. The peak was 20 times the first salary, a rise matched by fewer than 5 per cent of the 2,859 officials paid for ten years or more. The last annual entry is for 1906/07.
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.
Not on the map, as no position is recorded: stop 2 (Place not recorded).
Born 1874/75 (AH 1291); First work 1888/89 (AH 1306); 1891/92 (AH 1309)
First work as Gumruk Kalemi
50 kuruş a month; entries in 1 year
Place not recorded not on the map
1894/95 (AH 1312)
No annual entry for 1892 to 1894 (AH 1310 to 1311) before it.
entries in 1 year
1904/05 (AH 1322)
No annual entry for 1903/04 (AH 1321) before it.
200 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1891/92 | 50 | 500 | 200 | 0% |
| 1895/96 | 100 | 500 | 400 | 3% |
| 1896/97 | 800 | 500 | 400 | 86% |
| 1897/98 | 350 | 500 | 480 | 27% |
| 1898/99 | 350 | 500 | 495 | 26% |
| 1899/1900 | 350 | 500 | 500 | 26% |
| 1900/01 | 500 | 500 | 540 | 47% |
| 1901/02 | 500 | 500 | 540 | 49% |
| 1902/03 | 500 | 500 | 540 | 49% |
| 1904/05 | 200 | 450 | 350 | 8% |
| 1905/06 | 1,000 | 475 | 445 | 86% |
| 1906/07 | 250 | 450 | 300 | 15% |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1888/89AH 1306 | Gumruk Kalemifirst work | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 50first-salary field |
| 1891/92AH 1309 | Muhasebe Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 50 |
| No annual entry: 1892 to 1894 (AH 1310 to 1311) | |||
| 1894/95AH 1312 | |||
| 1895/96AH 1313 | Muhabere Memuru | Beyoğlu | 100 |
| 1896/97AH 1314 | Muhabere Memuru | Jeddah (Cidde) | 800 |
| 1897 to 1900AH 1315 to 1317 | Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti | Çanakkale | 350 |
| 1900/01AH 1318 | 3. Müdür | Razlog (Razlık) | 500 |
| 1901 to 1903AH 1319 to 1320 | 3. Müdür | Saimbeyli (Haçin) | 500 |
| No annual entry: 1903/04 (AH 1321) | |||
| 1904/05AH 1322 | Muhabere Memuru | Beyoğlu | 200 |
| 1905/06AH 1323 | Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti | Mecca (Mekke) | 1,000 |
| 1906/07AH 1324 | Muhabere Memuru | Beyoğlu | 250 |
Record#
Personal
- Born
- 1874/75 (AH 1291)
- Birthplace
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- Community
- Muslim (Müslüman)
- Nationality as recorded
- Turkish
- Father's occupation
- Esnaf
Education
- Rüşdiye
- Rüşdiye Mektebi (7 years)rüşdiye school (middle school); place of the school as worded: Sogukcesme
- Unpaid years (mülazemet)
- 3 years
- Preparation route (classification of the paper)
- Middle
- Qualification (diploma, certificate, training or nişan)
- Yes
The years count all schooling up to that school, as the record gives them.
Languages
- French
- Kitabetwriting
- Turkish
- Kitabetwriting
The glosses are cautious historical readings of the recorded words, not modern levels of proficiency.
First work
- Year
- 1888/89 (AH 1306)
- Place
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- First job as worded
- Gumruk Kalemi
- Age at first work (workbook field)
- 15
- First salary field (kuruş a month)
- 50
- First-job salary of the original workbook (kuruş a month)
- 50
Notes from the record
- Merit and competence grade (recorded code)
- 1
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 207 officials with entries in Beyoğlu in the same years, Mehmet Sabri Efendi had the 38th highest salary.
- Emrullah Efendi3 shared years; highest salary 10,000 kuruş
- Mustafa Nesimi Efendi3 shared years; highest salary 3,250 kuruş
- Paskal Mıgırdıç Kazancıyan Efendi3 shared years; highest salary 2,905 kuruş
- Nikola Yunani Efendi3 shared years; highest salary 1,350 kuruş
- Taşçıyan Markar Efendi3 shared years; highest salary 1,300 kuruş
Same job title, same years
Of the 1,646 officials with the title Muhabere Memuru in the same years, Mehmet Sabri Efendi had the 61st highest salary.
- Mehmet Hulusi Bey4 shared years; highest salary 2,600 kuruş
- Mustafa Fazıl Bey4 shared years; highest salary 1,700 kuruş
- Mehmet Sadullah Efendi4 shared years; highest salary 1,650 kuruş
- Mehmet Asım Efendi4 shared years; highest salary 1,550 kuruş
- Nikola Yunani Efendi4 shared years; highest salary 1,350 kuruş
Same school
Of the 3,206 officials with Rüşdiye Mektebi among their schools, 3,200 have a recorded salary; Mehmet Sabri Efendi had the 289th highest salary of them.
- Abdülgani Efendiborn 1874/75 (AH 1291); highest salary 200 kuruş
- Abdullah Halit Efendiborn 1874/75 (AH 1291); highest salary 1,000 kuruş
- Abdullah Kemal Beyborn 1874/75 (AH 1291); highest salary 100 kuruş
- Abdullah Kemal Beyborn 1874/75 (AH 1291); highest salary 800 kuruş
- Abdurrahman Tahsin Efendiborn 1874/75 (AH 1291); highest salary 500 kuruş
Same birthplace
Of the 1,999 officials born in Istanbul, 1,997 have a recorded salary; Mehmet Sabri Efendi had the 354th highest salary of them.
- Abdullah Kemal Beyborn 1874/75 (AH 1291); highest salary 100 kuruş
- Abdullah Kemal Beyborn 1874/75 (AH 1291); highest salary 800 kuruş
- Abdurrahman Tahsin Efendiborn 1874/75 (AH 1291); highest salary 500 kuruş
- Ahmed Gazi Efendiborn 1874/75 (AH 1291); highest salary 150 kuruş
- Ahmet Asım Efendiborn 1874/75 (AH 1291); highest salary 250 kuruş
First annual entry in the same year
Of the 136 officials whose first annual entry is for 1891/92 (AH 1309), Mehmet Sabri Efendi had the 15th highest salary.
- Hüseyin Şevket Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 90 kuruş
- Mehmed İshak Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 500 kuruş
- Mehmet İzzet Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 400 kuruş
- Mehmet Memduh Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 100 kuruş
- Ali Kemal Beyfirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 500 kuruş
Full record
Annual entries (13)
| Year | Title | Place | Kuruş a month | Institution | Source | Archive reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1891/92AH 1309 | Muhasebe Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 50 | Other | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 0087_0116; 229 |
| 1894/95AH 1312 | Other | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 0087_0116; 229 | |||
| 1895/96AH 1313 | Muhabere Memuru | Beyoğlu | 100 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0087_0116; 229 |
| 1896/97AH 1314 | Muhabere Memuru | Jeddah (Cidde) | 800 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0087_0116; 229 |
| 1897/98AH 1315 | Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti | Çanakkale | 350 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0087_0116; 229 |
| 1898/99AH 1316 | Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti | Çanakkale | 350 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0087_0116; 229 |
| 1899/1900AH 1317 | Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti | Çanakkale | 350 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0087_0116; 229 |
| 1900/01AH 1318 | 3. Müdür | Razlog (Razlık) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0087_0116; 229 |
| 1901/02AH 1319 | 3. Müdür | Saimbeyli (Haçin) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0087_0116; 229 |
| 1902/03AH 1320 | 3. Müdür | Saimbeyli (Haçin) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0087_0116; 229 |
| 1904/05AH 1322 | Muhabere Memuru | Beyoğlu | 200 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0087_0116; 229 |
| 1905/06AH 1323 | Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti | Mecca (Mekke) | 1,000 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0087_0116; 229 |
| 1906/07AH 1324 | Muhabere Memuru | Beyoğlu | 250 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0087_0116; 229 |
What the sources named in this table are
- Cross-ministry personnel workbook
- A personnel workbook with the annual entries in institutions other than the Post and Telegraph (justice, land registry, customs, police and others), with the same annual fields as the personnel workbook.
- 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 (26)
| Field | Recorded value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | ||
| Name | Mehmet Sabri Efendi | Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Linked personnel workbook |
| Birth year (AH) | 1291 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Birthplace | dersaadet used on this page | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Birthplace | istanbul other value | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Birthplace: district (kaza) | istanbul | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Birthplace: sancak | istanbul | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Birthplace: province (vilayet) | istanbul | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Province of birth | dersaadet | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Father's occupation | Esnaf | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Religion | Musluman | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Nationality or community | Turkish | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Schooling | ||
| School | Rusdiye Mektebi | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Place of the school | Sogukcesme | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Years of schooling | 7 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Years of apprenticeship (mülazemet) | 3 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First work | ||
| First work: year (AH) | 1306 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Linked personnel workbook |
| First work: Gregorian year as stored | 1889 | Recovered annual personnel extract |
| First work: place | istanbul | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First work: district (kaza) | istanbul | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First work: sancak | istanbul | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First work: province (vilayet) | istanbul | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First job as worded | Gumruk Kalemi | Linked personnel workbook; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Age at first work (workbook field) | 15 | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First salary field (kuruş a month) | 50 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First-job salary of the original workbook (kuruş a month) | 50 | Linked personnel workbook; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Other recorded values | ||
| Merit and competence grade (recorded code) | 1 | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
What the sources named in this table are
- Cross-ministry personnel workbook
- A personnel workbook with the annual entries in institutions other than the Post and Telegraph (justice, land registry, customs, police and others), with the same annual fields as the personnel workbook.
- 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.
- Linked personnel workbook
- The original personnel workbook, from which selected fields on background and first work are taken.
- The sources give more than one value for a marked field. Every value is listed.
- Origin of the record: Post and Telegraph personnel records.
- 10 annual entries of 13 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 Sabri Efendi
- Communications official (Muhabere Memuru)
- Beyoğlu
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- 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)