Official
Hafız Kemal Bey
Muslim (Müslüman). Born in Istanbul (Dersaadet) in 1850/51 (AH 1267). On record 1870 to 1907, 38 annual entries.
Archive reference 0062_0007; 11
Life#
Born in Istanbul in 1850/51 (AH 1267) into the Muslim (Müslüman) community, Hafız Kemal Bey was the child of a telegraph official (telgraf memuru). Kemal had seven years of schooling, at a middle school (Rüşdiye Mektebi).
At about 19, in 1870/71, Kemal began work in Istanbul, with half a year without pay as a mülazım (apprentice) before a first salary of 200 kuruş. Every annual entry from 1870/71 to 1906/07 places Kemal in Istanbul, the birthplace, first in the correspondence office (Tahrirat Kalemi), from 1875/76 in the office of the corresponding secretary (Mektubi Kalemi) and from 1897/98 in the council clerkship (Meclis Kitabeti). A career like this is rare; 11 per cent of the 775 officials whose entries span 30 years or more stayed in one place throughout. Entries spanning 38 years are rare, reached by fewer than 5 per cent of the 5,211 officials.
Pay rose from 200 kuruş a month in 1870/71 to a peak of 1,000 in 1895/96, in the Mektubi Kalemi in Istanbul, when 87 per cent of paid officials earned less. The peak lasted a single year; the next list gives 900 kuruş. Over 38 years the salaries add up to 327,600 kuruş, 1.4 times what an official on the median salary earned. The last annual entry is for 1906/07.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1870/71 | 200 | 600 | 600 | 5% |
| 1871/72 | 190 | 550 | 412.5 | 5% |
| 1872/73 | 190 | 550 | 400 | 5% |
| 1873/74 | 190 | 500 | 400 | 7% |
| 1874/75 | 280 | 535 | 420 | 11% |
| 1875/76 | 800 | 530 | 400 | 70% |
| 1876/77 | 800 | 582.5 | 300 | 67% |
| 1877/78 | 800 | 560 | 400 | 68% |
| 1878 | 800 | 600 | 450 | 65% |
| 1878/79 | 800 | 600 | 400 | 66% |
| 1879/80 | 600 | 500 | 380 | 61% |
| 1880/81 | 600 | 500 | 380 | 60% |
| 1881/82 | 600 | 500 | 450 | 60% |
| 1882/83 | 600 | 500 | 475 | 59% |
| 1883/84 | 600 | 500 | 500 | 59% |
| 1884/85 | 600 | 500 | 570 | 59% |
| 1885/86 | 600 | 500 | 575 | 58% |
| 1886/87 | 600 | 500 | 575 | 59% |
| 1887/88 | 600 | 500 | 700 | 58% |
| 1888/89 | 650 | 500 | 650 | 70% |
| 1889/90 | 650 | 500 | 500 | 71% |
| 1890/91 | 700 | 500 | 600 | 73% |
| 1891/92 | 700 | 500 | 580 | 73% |
| 1892/93 | 950 | 500 | 450 | 86% |
| 1893/94 | 950 | 500 | 550 | 87% |
| 1894/95 | 950 | 500 | 530 | 87% |
| 1895/96 | 1,000 | 500 | 475 | 87% |
| 1896/97 | 900 | 500 | 495 | 88% |
| 1897/98 | 900 | 500 | 200 | 88% |
| 1898/99 | 900 | 500 | 220 | 87% |
| 1899/1900 | 950 | 500 | 137.5 | 88% |
| 1900/01 | 950 | 500 | 125 | 87% |
| 1901/02 | 950 | 500 | 120 | 87% |
| 1902/03 | 950 | 500 | 120 | 87% |
| 1903/04 | 950 | 475 | 120 | 87% |
| 1904/05 | 950 | 450 | 87% | |
| 1905/06 | 950 | 475 | 85% | |
| 1906/07 | 950 | 450 | 84% |
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) | 200first-salary field |
| 1870 to 1875AH 1287 to 1291 | Tahrirat Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 200 to 280 |
| 1875 to 1897AH 1292 to 1314 | Mektubi Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 800 to 900 |
| 1897 to 1907AH 1315 to 1324 | Meclis Kitabeti | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 900 to 950 |
Record#
Personal
- Born
- 1850/51 (AH 1267)
- Birthplace
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- Community
- Muslim (Müslüman)
- Nationality as recorded
- Turkish
- Father's occupation
- Telgraf Memuru
Education
- Rüşdiye
- Rüşdiye Mektebi (7 years)rüşdiye school (middle school)
- Unpaid years (mülazemet)
- 0.5 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
- 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)
- 200
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 1,529 officials with entries in Istanbul in the same years, Hafız Kemal Bey had the 383rd highest salary.
- Suleyman Resat Bey38 shared years; highest salary 7,000 kuruş
- Mehmet Hayri Bey38 shared years; highest salary 5,500 kuruş
- Melkok Efendi38 shared years; highest salary 5,000 kuruş
- Unnamed official (0007_0144; 285)38 shared years; highest salary 2,750 kuruş
- Mehmet Şükrü Efendi38 shared years; highest salary 2,500 kuruş
Same job title, same years
Of the 47 officials with the title Mektubi Kalemi in the same years, Hafız Kemal Bey had the 16th highest salary.
- Ali Rıza Efendi17 shared years; highest salary 600 kuruş
- Ali Bey16 shared years; highest salary 1,400 kuruş
- Mehmet Nazmi Bey15 shared years; highest salary 1,500 kuruş
- Salih Hulusi Efendi15 shared years; highest salary 1,000 kuruş
- Ahmet Efendi15 shared years; highest salary 900 kuruş
Same school
Of the 3,206 officials with Rüşdiye Mektebi among their schools, 3,200 have a recorded salary; Hafız Kemal Bey had the 289th highest salary of them.
- Abdülhalil Efendiborn 1850/51 (AH 1267); highest salary 500 kuruş
- Abdülhamit Efendiborn 1850/51 (AH 1267); highest salary 1,500 kuruş
- Abdullah Tevfik Efendiborn 1850/51 (AH 1267); highest salary 500 kuruş
- Abdurrahman Nuri Efendiborn 1850/51 (AH 1267); highest salary 1,400 kuruş
- Ahmet Şemsettin Efendiborn 1850/51 (AH 1267); highest salary 600 kuruş
Same birthplace
Of the 1,999 officials born in Istanbul, 1,997 have a recorded salary; Hafız Kemal Bey had the 354th highest salary of them.
- Abdullah Tevfik Efendiborn 1850/51 (AH 1267); highest salary 500 kuruş
- Ahmet Nail Efendiborn 1850/51 (AH 1267); highest salary 400 kuruş
- Ahmet Şemsettin Efendiborn 1850/51 (AH 1267); highest salary 600 kuruş
- Andon Tomasyan Efendiborn 1850/51 (AH 1267); highest salary 800 kuruş
- Dikran Yüzbaşıyan Efendiborn 1850/51 (AH 1267); highest salary 750 kuruş
First annual entry in the same year
Of the 66 officials whose first annual entry is for 1870/71 (AH 1287), Hafız Kemal Bey had the 24th highest salary.
- Antuvan Ramiz Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 630 kuruş
- Mehmet Mahcub Beyfirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 1,100 kuruş
- Mehmet Nuri Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 1,000 kuruş
- Refet Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 1,480 kuruş
- Mehmet Şükrü Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 2,500 kuruş
Full record
Annual entries (38)
| Year | Title | Place | Kuruş a month | Institution | Source | Archive reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1870/71AH 1287 | Tahrirat Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 200 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0007; 11 |
| 1871/72AH 1288 | Tahrirat Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 190 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0007; 11 |
| 1872/73AH 1289 | Tahrirat Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 190 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0007; 11 |
| 1873/74AH 1290 | Tahrirat Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 190 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0007; 11 |
| 1874/75AH 1291 | Tahrirat Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 280 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0007; 11 |
| 1875/76AH 1292 | Mektubi Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 800 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0007; 11 |
| 1876/77AH 1293 | Mektubi Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 800 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0007; 11 |
| 1877/78AH 1294 | Mektubi Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 800 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0007; 11 |
| 1878AH 1295 | Mektubi Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 800 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0007; 11 |
| 1878/79AH 1296 | Mektubi Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 800 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0007; 11 |
| 1879/80AH 1297 | Mektubi Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0007; 11 |
| 1880/81AH 1298 | Mektubi Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0007; 11 |
| 1881/82AH 1299 | Mektubi Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0007; 11 |
| 1882/83AH 1300 | Mektubi Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0007; 11 |
| 1883/84AH 1301 | Mektubi Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0007; 11 |
| 1884/85AH 1302 | Mektubi Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0007; 11 |
| 1885/86AH 1303 | Mektubi Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0007; 11 |
| 1886/87AH 1304 | Mektubi Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0007; 11 |
| 1887/88AH 1305 | Mektubi Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0007; 11 |
| 1888/89AH 1306 | Mektubi Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 650 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0007; 11 |
| 1889/90AH 1307 | Mektubi Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 650 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0007; 11 |
| 1890/91AH 1308 | Mektubi Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 700 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0007; 11 |
| 1891/92AH 1309 | Mektubi Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 700 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0007; 11 |
| 1892/93AH 1310 | Mektubi Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 950 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0007; 11 |
| 1893/94AH 1311 | Mektubi Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 950 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0007; 11 |
| 1894/95AH 1312 | Mektubi Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 950 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0007; 11 |
| 1895/96AH 1313 | Mektubi Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 1,000 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0007; 11 |
| 1896/97AH 1314 | Mektubi Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 900 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0007; 11 |
| 1897/98AH 1315 | Meclis Kitabeti | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 900 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0007; 11 |
| 1898/99AH 1316 | Meclis Kitabeti | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 900 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0007; 11 |
| 1899/1900AH 1317 | Meclis Kitabeti | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 950 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0007; 11 |
| 1900/01AH 1318 | Meclis Kitabeti | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 950 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0007; 11 |
| 1901/02AH 1319 | Meclis Kitabeti | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 950 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0007; 11 |
| 1902/03AH 1320 | Meclis Kitabeti | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 950 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0007; 11 |
| 1903/04AH 1321 | Meclis Kitabeti | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 950 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0007; 11 |
| 1904/05AH 1322 | Meclis Kitabeti | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 950 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0007; 11 |
| 1905/06AH 1323 | Meclis Kitabeti | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 950 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0007; 11 |
| 1906/07AH 1324 | Meclis Kitabeti | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 950 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0007; 11 |
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 | Hafız Kemal Bey | Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Birth year (AH) | 1267 | 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 | telgraf memuru | 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) | 0.5 | 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) | 200 | 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.
- 37 annual entries of 38 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
- Hafız Kemal Bey
- Office of the corresponding secretary (Mektubi Kalemi)
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- Rüşdiye school (Rüşdiye Mektebi)
- Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf)
- Muslim (Müslüman)
- Council clerkship (Meclis Kitabeti)
- 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)