Official
Mehmet İsmail Efendi
Muslim (Müslüman). Born in Istanbul (Dersaadet) in 1871/72 (AH 1288). On record 1887 to 1904, 17 annual entries.
Archive reference 0065_0164; 325
Life#
Born in Istanbul in 1871/72 (AH 1288) into the Muslim (Müslüman) community, Mehmet İsmail Efendi was the child of a tradesman (esnaf). Mehmet İsmail had seven years of schooling, at a middle school (Rüşdiye Mektebi).
At about 16, in 1886/87, Mehmet İsmail began work in Istanbul, with one unpaid year as a mülazım (apprentice) before a first salary of 150 kuruş. From 1887/88 to 1903/04 every annual entry places Mehmet İsmail in Istanbul, the birthplace, first in the statistics office (İstatistik Kalemi), from 1889/90 as an official for outgoing items (Mersule Memuru), from 1900/01 as Kartpostal Memuru and from 1901/02 as an official for incoming items (Mevrude Memuru).
Pay rose from 150 kuruş a month in 1887/88 to a peak of 450 in 1903/04, as Mevrude Memuru in Istanbul, when 47 per cent of paid officials earned less. Over 17 years the salaries add up to 49,440 kuruş, 48 per cent of what an official on the median salary earned. The last annual entry is for 1903/04.
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, and the median of the same province for the years in which at least 5 officials were paid in the province of the official's salary that year.
The numbers of the chart
| Year | Salary | Median, all officials | Median, same title | Median, same province | Paid less |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1887/88 | 150 | 500 | 300 | 500 | 2% |
| 1888/89 | 150 | 500 | 300 | 500 | 2% |
| 1889/90 | 150 | 500 | 225 | 500 | 5% |
| 1890/91 | 170 | 500 | 262.5 | 500 | 7% |
| 1891/92 | 170 | 500 | 300 | 500 | 8% |
| 1892/93 | 170 | 500 | 325 | 500 | 9% |
| 1893/94 | 170 | 500 | 375 | 480 | 8% |
| 1894/95 | 195 | 500 | 280 | 450 | 9% |
| 1895/96 | 195 | 500 | 290 | 440 | 9% |
| 1896/97 | 195 | 500 | 212.5 | 425 | 8% |
| 1897/98 | 210 | 500 | 135 | 425 | 12% |
| 1898/99 | 245 | 500 | 170 | 440 | 13% |
| 1899/1900 | 300 | 500 | 200 | 450 | 18% |
| 1900/01 | 400 | 500 | 450 | 31% | |
| 1901/02 | 400 | 500 | 300 | 440 | 32% |
| 1902/03 | 400 | 500 | 360 | 450 | 33% |
| 1903/04 | 450 | 475 | 362.5 | 450 | 47% |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1886/87AH 1304 | First work | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 150first-salary field |
| 1887 to 1889AH 1305 to 1306 | İstatistik Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 150 |
| 1889 to 1900AH 1307 to 1317 | Mersule Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 150 to 300 |
| 1900/01AH 1318 | Kartpostal Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 400 |
| 1901 to 1904AH 1319 to 1321 | Mevrude Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 400 to 450 |
Record#
Personal
- Born
- 1871/72 (AH 1288)
- Birthplace
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- Community
- Muslim (Müslüman)
- Nationality as recorded
- Turkish
- Father's occupation
- Esnaf
Education
- Rüşdiye
- Rüşdiye Mektebi (7 years)rüşdiye school (middle school)
- Unpaid years (mülazemet)
- 1 year
- 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
- 1886/87 (AH 1304)
- Place
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- First salary field (kuruş a month)
- 150
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 post (job title and place), same years
Of the 35 officials who held Mersule Memuru in Istanbul in the same years, Mehmet İsmail Efendi had the 17th highest salary.
- Unnamed official (58_0003;3)11 shared years; highest salary 500 kuruş
- Abdurrahman Şakir Bey9 shared years; highest salary 1,500 kuruş
- Ayn Fahreddin Efendi9 shared years; highest salary 720 kuruş
- İbrahim Ethem Efendi9 shared years; highest salary 700 kuruş
- Ahmet Efendi9 shared years; highest salary 260 kuruş
Same place, same years
Of the 1,178 officials with entries in Istanbul in the same years, Mehmet İsmail Efendi had the 747th highest salary.
- Salahattin Bey17 shared years; highest salary 7,800 kuruş
- Suleyman Resat Bey17 shared years; highest salary 7,000 kuruş
- Mehmet Hayri Bey17 shared years; highest salary 5,500 kuruş
- Melkok Efendi17 shared years; highest salary 5,000 kuruş
- Dikran Efendi17 shared years; highest salary 4,500 kuruş
Same job title, same years
Of the 69 officials with the title Mersule Memuru in the same years, Mehmet İsmail Efendi had the 37th highest salary.
- Unnamed official (58_0003;3)11 shared years; highest salary 500 kuruş
- Hasan Remzi Efendi11 shared years; highest salary 300 kuruş
- Arif Efendi10 shared years; highest salary 650 kuruş
- Mehmet Tevfik Efendi10 shared years; highest salary 350 kuruş
- Abdurrahman Şakir Bey9 shared years; highest salary 1,500 kuruş
Same school
Of the 3,206 officials with Rüşdiye Mektebi among their schools, 3,200 have a recorded salary; Mehmet İsmail Efendi had the 1,658th highest salary of them.
- Abdi Zühtü Efendiborn 1871/72 (AH 1288); highest salary 1,000 kuruş
- Abdullah Avni Efendiborn 1871/72 (AH 1288); highest salary 380 kuruş
- Ahmet Cevdet Efendiborn 1871/72 (AH 1288); highest salary 900 kuruş
- Ahmet Hamdi Efendiborn 1871/72 (AH 1288); highest salary 210 kuruş
- Ahmet Hamdi Efendiborn 1871/72 (AH 1288); highest salary 300 kuruş
Same birthplace
Of the 1,999 officials born in Istanbul, 1,997 have a recorded salary; Mehmet İsmail Efendi had the 1,155th highest salary of them.
- Ahmet Bahaattin Efendiborn 1871/72 (AH 1288); highest salary 1,500 kuruş
- Ahmet Cevdet Efendiborn 1871/72 (AH 1288); highest salary 900 kuruş
- Ahmet Hamdi Efendiborn 1871/72 (AH 1288); highest salary 210 kuruş
- Ahmet Hamdi Efendiborn 1871/72 (AH 1288); highest salary 300 kuruş
- Ahmet Hulusi Efendiborn 1871/72 (AH 1288); highest salary 700 kuruş
First annual entry in the same year
Of the 89 officials whose first annual entry is for 1887/88 (AH 1305), Mehmet İsmail Efendi had the 69th highest salary.
- Yusuf Ziya Beyfirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 750 kuruş
- Ahmed Talat Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 500 kuruş
- Mehmed Şecaüddin Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 700 kuruş
- Mehmed Tevfik Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 525 kuruş
- Mehmet Şahin Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 500 kuruş
All 89 officials whose first annual entry is for 1887/88 (AH 1305)
Full record
Annual entries (17)
| Year | Title | Place | Kuruş a month | Institution | Source | Archive reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1887/88AH 1305 | İstatistik Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 150 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0164; 325 |
| 1888/89AH 1306 | İstatistik Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 150 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0164; 325 |
| 1889/90AH 1307 | Mersule Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 150 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0164; 325 |
| 1890/91AH 1308 | Mersule Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 170 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0164; 325 |
| 1891/92AH 1309 | Mersule Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 170 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0164; 325 |
| 1892/93AH 1310 | Mersule Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 170 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0164; 325 |
| 1893/94AH 1311 | Mersule Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 170 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0164; 325 |
| 1894/95AH 1312 | Mersule Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 195 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0164; 325 |
| 1895/96AH 1313 | Mersule Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 195 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0164; 325 |
| 1896/97AH 1314 | Mersule Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 195 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0164; 325 |
| 1897/98AH 1315 | Mersule Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 210 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0164; 325 |
| 1898/99AH 1316 | Mersule Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 245 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0164; 325 |
| 1899/1900AH 1317 | Mersule Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 300 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0164; 325 |
| 1900/01AH 1318 | Kartpostal Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0164; 325 |
| 1901/02AH 1319 | Mevrude Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0164; 325 |
| 1902/03AH 1320 | Mevrude Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0164; 325 |
| 1903/04AH 1321 | Mevrude Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 450 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0164; 325 |
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 İsmail Efendi | Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Birth year (AH) | 1288 | 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 | Esnaf | 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) | 1 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First work | ||
| First work: year (AH) | 1304 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First work: Gregorian year as stored | 1887 | 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) | 150 | 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 İsmail Efendi
- Official for outgoing items (Mersule Memuru)
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- Rüşdiye school (Rüşdiye Mektebi)
- Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf)
- Muslim (Müslüman)
- Official for incoming items (Mevrude Memuru)
- 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)