Official
Ahmet Rıfat Efendi
Muslim (Müslüman). Born in Istanbul (Dersaadet) in 1851/52 (AH 1268). On record 1863 to 1895, 33 annual entries. Death recorded 1895/96.
Archive reference 0062_0006; 9
Life#
Ahmet Rıfat Efendi was born in Istanbul in 1851/52 (AH 1268), into the Muslim (Müslüman) community, and the father's occupation was "Sadaret Hademesi". Schooling took four years, at a school for young children (Sıbyan Mektebi).
Ahmet Rıfat began work in Istanbul in 1863/64, at about 12, paid from the start, on 280 kuruş a month. Few began so young; fewer than 3 per cent of the 5,128 officials whose age at first work is known started at 12 or younger. The first annual entry, for 1863/64, places Ahmet Rıfat in Istanbul, the birthplace, as a machine official (Makine Memuru), where the entries run to 1885/86. Next came Edirne in 1886/87. The last posts were in Istanbul again from 1887 to 1895. A career like this is rare; fewer than 7 per cent of the 775 officials whose entries span 30 years or more kept one title throughout.
Pay rose from 280 kuruş a month in 1863/64 to a peak of 650 in 1878, as Makine Memuru in Istanbul, when 60 per cent of paid officials earned less. In all, 33 years of salary come to 180,960 kuruş, 84 per cent of what an official on the median salary earned in those years. The last annual entry is for 1894/95; the list of 1895/96 (AH 1313) gives the status word Vefat (death).
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 1851/52 (AH 1268); First work 1863/64 (AH 1280); 1863 to 1886 (AH 1280 to 1303)
250 to 650 kuruş a month; entries in 24 years
1887 to 1895 (AH 1305 to 1312)
500 kuruş a month; entries in 8 years
Death recorded in the annual list of 1895/96 (AH 1313): the word Vefat, not a date of death.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1863/64 | 280 | 500 | 14% | |
| 1864/65 | 280 | 625 | 10% | |
| 1865/66 | 280 | 650 | 9% | |
| 1866/67 | 280 | 600 | 8% | |
| 1867/68 | 250 | 600 | 5% | |
| 1868/69 | 250 | 600 | 442.5 | 6% |
| 1869/70 | 350 | 600 | 450 | 16% |
| 1870/71 | 350 | 600 | 450 | 17% |
| 1871/72 | 450 | 550 | 525 | 36% |
| 1872/73 | 450 | 550 | 525 | 35% |
| 1873/74 | 410 | 500 | 522.5 | 34% |
| 1874/75 | 475 | 535 | 537.5 | 39% |
| 1875/76 | 475 | 530 | 537.5 | 40% |
| 1876/77 | 600 | 582.5 | 600 | 50% |
| 1877/78 | 600 | 560 | 600 | 50% |
| 1878 | 650 | 600 | 600 | 60% |
| 1878/79 | 650 | 600 | 600 | 61% |
| 1879/80 | 500 | 500 | 500 | 47% |
| 1880/81 | 500 | 500 | 500 | 47% |
| 1881/82 | 500 | 500 | 500 | 46% |
| 1882/83 | 500 | 500 | 500 | 43% |
| 1883/84 | 500 | 500 | 500 | 43% |
| 1884/85 | 500 | 500 | 500 | 42% |
| 1885/86 | 500 | 500 | 500 | 42% |
| 1886/87 | 500 | 500 | 500 | 42% |
| 1887/88 | 500 | 500 | 500 | 41% |
| 1888/89 | 500 | 500 | 500 | 41% |
| 1889/90 | 500 | 500 | 500 | 42% |
| 1890/91 | 500 | 500 | 500 | 43% |
| 1891/92 | 500 | 500 | 500 | 43% |
| 1892/93 | 500 | 500 | 500 | 44% |
| 1893/94 | 500 | 500 | 500 | 46% |
| 1894/95 | 500 | 500 | 500 | 46% |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1863/64AH 1280 | First work | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 280first-salary field |
| 1863 to 1886AH 1280 to 1303 | Makine Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 280 to 500 |
| 1886/87AH 1304 | Makine Memuru | Edirne | 500 |
| 1887 to 1895AH 1305 to 1312 | Makine Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 500 |
| 1895/96AH 1313 | Death recorded | ||
Record#
Personal
- Born
- 1851/52 (AH 1268)
- Birthplace
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- Community
- Muslim (Müslüman)
- Nationality as recorded
- Turkish
- Father's occupation
- Sadaret Hademesi
- Death recorded
- 1895/96 (AH 1313)the year of the annual list with the word Vefat, not a date of death
Education
- Primary
- Sıbyan Mektebi (4 years)school for young children (primary school)
- Unpaid years (mülazemet)
- 0 years
- Preparation route (classification of the paper)
- Low
- Qualification (diploma, certificate, training or nişan)
- NoShown as in the flag of the paper. The qualification column of the recovered extract gives yes.
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
- 1863/64 (AH 1280)
- Place
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- First salary field (kuruş a month)
- 280
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 1,051 officials with entries in Istanbul in the same years, Ahmet Rıfat Efendi had the 638th highest salary.
- Emil Efendi32 shared years; highest salary 9,000 kuruş
- Melkok Efendi32 shared years; highest salary 5,000 kuruş
- Mehmet Nurettin Efendi32 shared years; highest salary 4,500 kuruş
- Mehmet Salim Bey32 shared years; highest salary 3,000 kuruş
- Ali Kaya Bey32 shared years; highest salary 2,500 kuruş
Same job title, same years
Of the 17 officials with the title Makine Memuru in the same years, Ahmet Rıfat Efendi had the 7th highest salary.
- Ohannes Efendi28 shared years; highest salary 750 kuruş
- Mehmet Nuri Efendi28 shared years; highest salary 650 kuruş
- Agop Efendi28 shared years; highest salary 400 kuruş
- Ahmet Hilmi Efendi27 shared years; highest salary 500 kuruş
- Unnamed official (0094_15; 27)18 shared years; highest salary 620 kuruş
Same school
Of the 746 officials with Sıbyan Mektebi among their schools, 745 have a recorded salary; Ahmet Rıfat Efendi had the 380th highest salary of them.
- Ahmet Daim Efendiborn 1851/52 (AH 1268); highest salary 800 kuruş
- Ahmet Tevfik Efendiborn 1851/52 (AH 1268); highest salary 800 kuruş
- Ali Riza Beyborn 1851/52 (AH 1268); highest salary 2,500 kuruş
- Berdos [Bedros] Efendiborn 1851/52 (AH 1268); highest salary 800 kuruş
- Hacı Abdüllatif Efendiborn 1851/52 (AH 1268); highest salary 600 kuruş
Same birthplace
Of the 1,999 officials born in Istanbul, 1,997 have a recorded salary; Ahmet Rıfat Efendi had the 756th highest salary of them.
- Ahmet Hilmi Efendiborn 1851/52 (AH 1268); highest salary 800 kuruş
- Ahmet Safvet Efendiborn 1851/52 (AH 1268); highest salary 700 kuruş
- Ali Beyborn 1851/52 (AH 1268); highest salary 2,000 kuruş
- Bahcivan Oglu Kalparki Efendiborn 1851/52 (AH 1268); highest salary 2,500 kuruş
- Besim Efendiborn 1851/52 (AH 1268); highest salary 600 kuruş
First annual entry in the same year
Of the 43 officials whose first annual entry is for 1863/64 (AH 1280), Ahmet Rıfat Efendi had the 39th highest salary.
- Melkok Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 5,000 kuruş
- Mustafa Hamdi Beyfirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 1,050 kuruş
- Ahmet Rifat Beyfirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 4,000 kuruş
- Mehmet İzzet Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 1,200 kuruş
- Ahmet Tevfik Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 700 kuruş
Full record
Annual entries (33)
| Year | Title | Place | Kuruş a month | Institution | Source | Archive reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1863/64AH 1280 | Makine Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 280 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0006; 9 |
| 1864/65AH 1281 | Makine Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 280 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0006; 9 |
| 1865/66AH 1282 | Makine Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 280 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0006; 9 |
| 1866/67AH 1283 | Makine Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 280 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0006; 9 |
| 1867/68AH 1284 | Makine Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 250 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0006; 9 |
| 1868/69AH 1285 | Makine Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 250 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0006; 9 |
| 1869/70AH 1286 | Makine Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 350 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0006; 9 |
| 1870/71AH 1287 | Makine Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 350 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0006; 9 |
| 1871/72AH 1288 | Makine Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 450 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0006; 9 |
| 1872/73AH 1289 | Makine Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 450 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0006; 9 |
| 1873/74AH 1290 | Makine Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 410 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0006; 9 |
| 1874/75AH 1291 | Makine Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 475 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0006; 9 |
| 1875/76AH 1292 | Makine Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 475 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0006; 9 |
| 1876/77AH 1293 | Makine Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0006; 9 |
| 1877/78AH 1294 | Makine Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0006; 9 |
| 1878AH 1295 | Makine Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 650 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0006; 9 |
| 1878/79AH 1296 | Makine Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 650 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0006; 9 |
| 1879/80AH 1297 | Makine Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0006; 9 |
| 1880/81AH 1298 | Makine Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0006; 9 |
| 1881/82AH 1299 | Makine Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0006; 9 |
| 1882/83AH 1300 | Makine Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0006; 9 |
| 1883/84AH 1301 | Makine Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0006; 9 |
| 1884/85AH 1302 | Makine Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0006; 9 |
| 1885/86AH 1303 | Makine Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0006; 9 |
| 1886/87AH 1304 | Makine Memuru | Edirne | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0006; 9 |
| 1887/88AH 1305 | Makine Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0006; 9 |
| 1888/89AH 1306 | Makine Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0006; 9 |
| 1889/90AH 1307 | Makine Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0006; 9 |
| 1890/91AH 1308 | Makine Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0006; 9 |
| 1891/92AH 1309 | Makine Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0006; 9 |
| 1892/93AH 1310 | Makine Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0006; 9 |
| 1893/94AH 1311 | Makine Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0006; 9 |
| 1894/95AH 1312 | Makine Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0006; 9 |
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 (15)
| Field | Recorded value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | ||
| Name | Ahmet Rıfat Efendi | Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Birth year (AH) | 1268 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Birthplace | dersaadet | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Province of birth | dersaadet | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Father's occupation | Sadaret Hademesi | 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 | Sibyan Mektebi | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Years of schooling | 4 | 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) | 1280 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First work: Gregorian year as stored | 1863 | 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) | 280 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Status | ||
| Death recorded under the year (AH) | 1313 | Earlier annual personnel extract (original copy); Earlier annual personnel extract (parallel copy) |
What the sources named in this table are
- Earlier annual personnel extract (original copy)
- A copy of the earlier annual personnel file, read for the title wording of each year. A death taken from it is the status word Vefat in the title field of one annual list: the year is the year of that list, not a date of death.
- Earlier annual personnel extract (parallel copy)
- A second copy of the earlier annual personnel file, read in the same way. A death taken from it is the status word Vefat in the title field of one annual list: the year is the year of that list, not a date of death. Two copies that agree are one piece of evidence, not two.
- 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.
- 26 annual entries of 33 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 Rıfat Efendi
- Machine official (Makine Memuru)
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- School for young children (Sıbyan Mektebi)
- Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf)
- Muslim (Müslüman)
- Edirne
- 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)