Official
Mehmet Şerif Efendi
Muslim (Müslüman). Born in Bodrum in 1845 (AH 1261). On record 1873 to 1892, 20 annual entries.
Archive reference 54_205; 407
Life#
Born in Bodrum in 1845 (AH 1261), Mehmet Şerif Efendi came from the Muslim (Müslüman) community. Schooling took four years, at a school for young children (Sıbyan Mektebi); Mehmet Şerif also attended the telegraph school.
Mehmet Şerif began work in Istanbul in 1870/71, at about 25, with three unpaid years as a mülazım (apprentice) before a first salary of 380 kuruş. The first annual entry, for 1873/74, places Mehmet Şerif in Denizli as a communications official (Muhabere Memuru), where the entries run to 1878/79. Mehmet Şerif then moved to Tavas from 1879 to 1885, then Muğla and Gördes from 1885 to 1889. The last posts were in Bodrum, the birthplace, from 1889 to 1892. Fewer than 10 per cent of the 1,586 officials whose entries span 20 years or more kept one title throughout.
Pay rose from 380 kuruş a month in 1873/74 to a peak of 600 in 1879/80, as Muhabere Memuru in Tavas, when 61 per cent of paid officials earned less. The last annual entry is for 1891/92.
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 1845 (AH 1261)
First work 1870/71 (AH 1287)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1873/74 | 380 | 500 | 400 | 18% |
| 1874/75 | 380 | 535 | 450 | 18% |
| 1875/76 | 380 | 530 | 400 | 18% |
| 1876/77 | 400 | 582.5 | 410 | 17% |
| 1877/78 | 400 | 560 | 410 | 16% |
| 1878 | 400 | 600 | 500 | 17% |
| 1878/79 | 400 | 600 | 420 | 18% |
| 1879/80 | 600 | 500 | 380 | 61% |
| 1880/81 | 600 | 500 | 400 | 60% |
| 1881/82 | 600 | 500 | 400 | 60% |
| 1882/83 | 600 | 500 | 400 | 59% |
| 1883/84 | 600 | 500 | 400 | 59% |
| 1884/85 | 600 | 500 | 400 | 59% |
| 1885/86 | 600 | 500 | 400 | 58% |
| 1886/87 | 600 | 500 | 400 | 59% |
| 1887/88 | 600 | 500 | 400 | 58% |
| 1888/89 | 600 | 500 | 400 | 58% |
| 1889/90 | 600 | 500 | 400 | 58% |
| 1890/91 | 600 | 500 | 400 | 59% |
| 1891/92 | 600 | 500 | 400 | 59% |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1870/71AH 1287 | First work | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 380first-salary field |
| 1873 to 1879AH 1290 to 1296 | Muhabere Memuru | Denizli | 380 to 400 |
| 1879 to 1885AH 1297 to 1302 | Muhabere Memuru | Tavas | 600 |
| 1885 to 1888AH 1303 to 1305 | Muhabere Memuru | Muğla | 600 |
| 1888/89AH 1306 | Muhabere Memuru | Gördes | 600 |
| 1889 to 1892AH 1307 to 1309 | Muhabere Memuru | Bodrum | 600 |
Record#
Personal
- Born
- 1845 (AH 1261)
- Birthplace
- Bodrum
- Community
- Muslim (Müslüman)
- Nationality as recorded
- Turkish
Education
- Primary
- Sıbyan Mektebi (4 years)school for young children (primary school)
- Higher or professional
- Telgraf Mektebitelegraph school; recorded as a code
- Unpaid years (mülazemet)
- 3 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
- 1870/71 (AH 1287)
- Place
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- First salary field (kuruş a month)
- 380
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 5 officials with entries in Denizli in the same years, Mehmet Şerif Efendi had the lowest salary.
- Mustafa Asım Efendi4 shared years; highest salary 800 kuruş
- Mehmet Rifat Efendi1 shared year; highest salary 2,500 kuruş
- Mehmet Nakib Efendi1 shared year; highest salary 1,000 kuruş
- Mehmet Nakip Efendi1 shared year; highest salary 1,000 kuruş
Same job title, same years
Of the 1,300 officials with the title Muhabere Memuru in the same years, Mehmet Şerif Efendi had the 645th highest salary.
- Tahir Efendi20 shared years; highest salary 1,500 kuruş
- Nikola Yunani Efendi20 shared years; highest salary 1,350 kuruş
- Mehmet Nazım Efendi20 shared years; highest salary 1,300 kuruş
- Taşçıyan Markar Efendi20 shared years; highest salary 1,300 kuruş
- İsmet Efendi20 shared years; highest salary 1,250 kuruş
Same school
Of the 746 officials with Sıbyan Mektebi among their schools, 745 have a recorded salary; Mehmet Şerif Efendi had the 400th highest salary of them.
- Abdullah Fikri Efendiborn 1845 (AH 1261); highest salary 600 kuruş
- Ahmet Hilmi Efendiborn 1845 (AH 1261); highest salary 675 kuruş
- Ahmet Naili Efendiborn 1845 (AH 1261); highest salary 600 kuruş
- Ahmet Raif Efendiborn 1845 (AH 1261); highest salary 1,500 kuruş
- Ali Efendiborn 1845 (AH 1261); highest salary 800 kuruş
Same birthplace
Of the 3 officials born in Bodrum, Mehmet Şerif Efendi had the 2nd highest salary.
- Osman Efendiborn 1879/80 (AH 1297); highest salary 800 kuruş
- İbrahim Edhem Efendiborn 1885/86 (AH 1303); highest salary 250 kuruş
First annual entry in the same year
Of the 69 officials whose first annual entry is for 1873/74 (AH 1290), Mehmet Şerif Efendi had the 43rd highest salary.
- Mustafa Şakir Efendifirst entry in İnebolu; highest salary 475 kuruş
- Ali Rıza Efendifirst entry in Izmir (İzmir); highest salary 550 kuruş
- Mustafa Efendifirst entry in Izmir (İzmir); highest salary 400 kuruş
- Mustafa Tevfik Efendifirst entry in Suriye; highest salary 1,000 kuruş
- Kirkor Yıldızyan Efendifirst entry in Samsun; highest salary 1,200 kuruş
Full record
Annual entries (20)
| Year | Title | Place | Kuruş a month | Institution | Source | Archive reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1873/74AH 1290 | Muhabere Memuru | Denizli | 380 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_205; 407 |
| 1874/75AH 1291 | Muhabere Memuru | Denizli | 380 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_205; 407 |
| 1875/76AH 1292 | Muhabere Memuru | Denizli | 380 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_205; 407 |
| 1876/77AH 1293 | Muhabere Memuru | Denizli | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_205; 407 |
| 1877/78AH 1294 | Muhabere Memuru | Denizli | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_205; 407 |
| 1878AH 1295 | Muhabere Memuru | Denizli | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_205; 407 |
| 1878/79AH 1296 | Muhabere Memuru | Denizli | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_205; 407 |
| 1879/80AH 1297 | Muhabere Memuru | Tavas | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_205; 407 |
| 1880/81AH 1298 | Muhabere Memuru | Tavas | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_205; 407 |
| 1881/82AH 1299 | Muhabere Memuru | Tavas | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_205; 407 |
| 1882/83AH 1300 | Muhabere Memuru | Tavas | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_205; 407 |
| 1883/84AH 1301 | Muhabere Memuru | Tavas | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_205; 407 |
| 1884/85AH 1302 | Muhabere Memuru | Tavas | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_205; 407 |
| 1885/86AH 1303 | Muhabere Memuru | Muğla | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_205; 407 |
| 1886/87AH 1304 | Muhabere Memuru | Muğla | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_205; 407 |
| 1887/88AH 1305 | Muhabere Memuru | Muğla | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_205; 407 |
| 1888/89AH 1306 | Muhabere Memuru | Gördes | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_205; 407 |
| 1889/90AH 1307 | Muhabere Memuru | Bodrum | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_205; 407 |
| 1890/91AH 1308 | Muhabere Memuru | Bodrum | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_205; 407 |
| 1891/92AH 1309 | Muhabere Memuru | Bodrum | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_205; 407 |
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 Şerif Efendi | Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Birth year (AH) | 1261 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Birthplace | bodrum | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Province of birth | aydin | 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 |
| Telegraph school (recorded code) | 1 | 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) | 1287 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First work: Gregorian year as stored | 1870 | 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) | 380 | 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
- Mehmet Şerif Efendi
- Communications official (Muhabere Memuru)
- Denizli
- Bodrum
- School for young children (Sıbyan 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)