Official
Ohannes Papasyan Efendi
Armenian Christian (Ermeni). Born in Istanbul (Dersaadet) in 1850/51 (AH 1267). On record 1868 to 1904, 37 annual entries.
Archive reference 5_340; 677
Life#
Born in Istanbul in 1850/51 (AH 1267), Ohannes Papasyan Efendi came from the Armenian Christian (Ermeni) community; the father was a tradesman (esnaf). Ohannes Papasyan had seven years of schooling, at a middle school (Rüşdiye Mektebi), and wrote French, Italian and Turkish.
Work began in Istanbul in 1866/67, at about 16, with two unpaid years as a mülazım (apprentice) before a first salary of 150 kuruş. The first annual entry, for 1868/69, places Ohannes Papasyan in Beyoğlu as an official (Memur). Ohannes Papasyan then moved to Yozgat, Beyoğlu and Yeniköy from 1869 to 1872, then back to Beyoğlu from 1872 to 1879, with a rise to Memur. From 1879 to 1904 every annual entry places Ohannes Papasyan in Istanbul, the birthplace, first as Memur, from 1894/95 in the foreign accounts office (Muhasebat-ı Ecnebiye Kalemi).
The salary went from 150 kuruş a month in 1868/69 to 2,000 in 1894/95, the peak, in the Muhasebat-ı Ecnebiye Kalemi in Istanbul, when 96 per cent of paid officials earned less. Over 37 years the salaries add up to 438,792 kuruş, 1.9 times what an official on the median salary earned. The final annual entry is for 1903/04.
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 1850/51 (AH 1267); First work 1866/67 (AH 1283)
1879 to 1904 (AH 1297 to 1321)
Memur 1879 to 1894 (AH 1297 to 1311); Muhasebat-ı Ecnebiye Kalemi 1894 to 1904 (AH 1312 to 1321)
850 to 2,000 kuruş a month; entries in 25 years
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1868/69 | 150 | 600 | 325 | 2% |
| 1869/70 | 576 | 600 | 408 | 47% |
| 1870/71 | 200 | 600 | 300 | 5% |
| 1871/72 | 350 | 550 | 400 | 18% |
| 1872/73 | 475 | 550 | 300 | 41% |
| 1873/74 | 475 | 500 | 340 | 42% |
| 1874/75 | 475 | 535 | 250 | 39% |
| 1875/76 | 475 | 530 | 300 | 40% |
| 1876/77 | 600 | 582.5 | 400 | 50% |
| 1877/78 | 600 | 560 | 400 | 50% |
| 1878 | 600 | 600 | 450 | 46% |
| 1878/79 | 600 | 600 | 500 | 47% |
| 1879/80 | 850 | 500 | 380 | 82% |
| 1880/81 | 1,000 | 500 | 350 | 84% |
| 1881/82 | 1,000 | 500 | 390 | 84% |
| 1882/83 | 1,000 | 500 | 400 | 82% |
| 1883/84 | 1,000 | 500 | 425 | 82% |
| 1884/85 | 1,000 | 500 | 400 | 82% |
| 1885/86 | 1,000 | 500 | 500 | 83% |
| 1886/87 | 1,000 | 500 | 400 | 84% |
| 1887/88 | 1,500 | 500 | 300 | 92% |
| 1888/89 | 1,500 | 500 | 375 | 92% |
| 1889/90 | 1,600 | 500 | 300 | 94% |
| 1890/91 | 1,675 | 500 | 285 | 94% |
| 1891/92 | 1,675 | 500 | 200 | 95% |
| 1892/93 | 1,675 | 500 | 200 | 95% |
| 1893/94 | 1,675 | 500 | 225 | 95% |
| 1894/95 | 2,000 | 500 | 710 | 96% |
| 1895/96 | 2,000 | 500 | 710 | 96% |
| 1896/97 | 980 | 500 | 600 | 90% |
| 1897/98 | 980 | 500 | 665 | 90% |
| 1898/99 | 980 | 500 | 750 | 89% |
| 1899/1900 | 980 | 500 | 775 | 88% |
| 1900/01 | 980 | 500 | 825 | 87% |
| 1901/02 | 980 | 500 | 820 | 87% |
| 1902/03 | 980 | 500 | 820 | 87% |
| 1903/04 | 980 | 475 | 820 | 87% |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1866/67AH 1283 | First work | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 150first-salary field |
| 1868/69AH 1285 | Memur | Beyoğlu | 150 |
| 1869/70AH 1286 | Memur | Yozgat | 576 |
| 1870/71AH 1287 | Memur | Beyoğlu | 200 |
| 1871/72AH 1288 | Muhabere Memuru | Yeniköy | 350 |
| 1872 to 1879AH 1289 to 1296 | Memur | Beyoğlu | 475 to 600 |
| 1879 to 1894AH 1297 to 1311 | Memur | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 850 to 1,675 |
| 1894 to 1904AH 1312 to 1321 | Muhasebat-ı Ecnebiye Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 2,000 to 980 |
Record#
Personal
- Born
- 1850/51 (AH 1267)
- Birthplace
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- Community
- Armenian Christian (Ermeni)
- Nationality as recorded
- Ermeni
- Father's occupation
- Esnaf
Education
- Rüşdiye
- Rüşdiye Mektebi (7 years)rüşdiye school (middle school)
- Unpaid years (mülazemet)
- 2 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
- French
- Kitabetwriting
- Italian
- Kitabetwriting
- Turkish
- Kitabetwriting
The glosses are cautious historical readings of the recorded words, not modern levels of proficiency.
First work
- Year
- 1866/67 (AH 1283)
- 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 place, same years
Of the 1,315 officials with entries in Istanbul in the same years, Ohannes Papasyan Efendi had the 143rd highest salary.
- Salahattin Bey25 shared years; highest salary 7,800 kuruş
- Suleyman Resat Bey25 shared years; highest salary 7,000 kuruş
- Mehmet Hayri Bey25 shared years; highest salary 5,500 kuruş
- Melkok Efendi25 shared years; highest salary 5,000 kuruş
- Mehmet Salim Bey25 shared years; highest salary 3,000 kuruş
Same job title, same years
Of the 226 officials with the title Memur in the same years, Ohannes Papasyan Efendi had the 17th highest salary.
- Hasan Sıtkı Efendi21 shared years; highest salary 800 kuruş
- Mehmet Raif Efendi21 shared years; highest salary 650 kuruş
- Hüseyin Hüsnü Efendi20 shared years; highest salary 900 kuruş
- Mehmet Ali Bey18 shared years; highest salary 2,200 kuruş
- Mehmet Safvet Efendi18 shared years; highest salary 650 kuruş
Same school
Of the 3,206 officials with Rüşdiye Mektebi among their schools, 3,200 have a recorded salary; Ohannes Papasyan Efendi had the 86th 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; Ohannes Papasyan Efendi had the 139th 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 89 officials whose first annual entry is for 1868/69 (AH 1285), Ohannes Papasyan Efendi had the 13th highest salary.
- Gerope Gümüş Gerdan Efendifirst entry in Beyoğlu; highest salary 1,000 kuruş
- Hamparsom Akna Efendifirst entry in Beyoğlu; highest salary 500 kuruş
- Hazarusyan Misbak Efendifirst entry in Beyoğlu; highest salary 800 kuruş
- Edvar Konunyan Efendifirst entry in Beyoğlu; highest salary 975 kuruş
- Ahmet Nail Efendifirst entry in Üsküdar; highest salary 400 kuruş
Full record
Annual entries (37)
| Year | Title | Place | Kuruş a month | Institution | Source | Archive reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1868/69AH 1285 | Memur | Beyoğlu | 150 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_340; 677 |
| 1869/70AH 1286 | Memur | Yozgat | 576 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_340; 677 |
| 1870/71AH 1287 | Memur | Beyoğlu | 200 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_340; 677 |
| 1871/72AH 1288 | Muhabere Memuru | Yeniköy | 350 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_340; 677 |
| 1872/73AH 1289 | Memur | Beyoğlu | 475 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_340; 677 |
| 1873/74AH 1290 | Memur | Beyoğlu | 475 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_340; 677 |
| 1874/75AH 1291 | Memur | Beyoğlu | 475 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_340; 677 |
| 1875/76AH 1292 | Memur | Beyoğlu | 475 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_340; 677 |
| 1876/77AH 1293 | Memur | Beyoğlu | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_340; 677 |
| 1877/78AH 1294 | Memur | Beyoğlu | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_340; 677 |
| 1878AH 1295 | Memur | Beyoğlu | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_340; 677 |
| 1878/79AH 1296 | Memur | Beyoğlu | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_340; 677 |
| 1879/80AH 1297 | Memur | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 850 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_340; 677 |
| 1880/81AH 1298 | Memur | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 1,000 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_340; 677 |
| 1881/82AH 1299 | Memur | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 1,000 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_340; 677 |
| 1882/83AH 1300 | Memur | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 1,000 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_340; 677 |
| 1883/84AH 1301 | Memur | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 1,000 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_340; 677 |
| 1884/85AH 1302 | Memur | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 1,000 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_340; 677 |
| 1885/86AH 1303 | Memur | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 1,000 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_340; 677 |
| 1886/87AH 1304 | Memur | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 1,000 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_340; 677 |
| 1887/88AH 1305 | Memur | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 1,500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_340; 677 |
| 1888/89AH 1306 | Memur | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 1,500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_340; 677 |
| 1889/90AH 1307 | Memur | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 1,600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_340; 677 |
| 1890/91AH 1308 | Memur | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 1,675 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_340; 677 |
| 1891/92AH 1309 | Memur | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 1,675 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_340; 677 |
| 1892/93AH 1310 | Memur | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 1,675 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_340; 677 |
| 1893/94AH 1311 | Memur | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 1,675 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_340; 677 |
| 1894/95AH 1312 | Muhasebat-ı Ecnebiye Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 2,000 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_340; 677 |
| 1895/96AH 1313 | Muhasebat-ı Ecnebiye Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 2,000 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_340; 677 |
| 1896/97AH 1314 | Muhasebat-ı Ecnebiye Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 980 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_340; 677 |
| 1897/98AH 1315 | Muhasebat-ı Ecnebiye Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 980 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_340; 677 |
| 1898/99AH 1316 | Muhasebat-ı Ecnebiye Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 980 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_340; 677 |
| 1899/1900AH 1317 | Muhasebat-ı Ecnebiye Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 980 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_340; 677 |
| 1900/01AH 1318 | Muhasebat-ı Ecnebiye Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 980 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_340; 677 |
| 1901/02AH 1319 | Muhasebat-ı Ecnebiye Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 980 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_340; 677 |
| 1902/03AH 1320 | Muhasebat-ı Ecnebiye Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 980 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_340; 677 |
| 1903/04AH 1321 | Muhasebat-ı Ecnebiye Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 980 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_340; 677 |
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 | Ohannes Papasyan Efendi | 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 | esnaf | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Religion | Hristiyan | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Nationality or community | Ermeni | 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) | 2 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First work | ||
| First work: year (AH) | 1283 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First work: Gregorian year as stored | 1866 | 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.
- 35 annual entries of 37 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
- Ohannes Papasyan Efendi
- Official (Memur)
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- Rüşdiye school (Rüşdiye Mektebi)
- Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf)
- Armenian Christian (Ermeni)
- Foreign accounts office (Muhasebat-ı Ecnebiye Kalemi)
- 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)