Official
Mehmet Cemal Efendi
Muslim (Müslüman). Born in Istanbul (Dersaadet) in 1851/52 (AH 1268). On record 1876 to 1894, 14 annual entries. Death recorded 1894/95.
Archive reference 0065_0099; 195
Life#
Born in Istanbul in 1851/52 (AH 1268) into the Muslim (Müslüman) community, Mehmet Cemal Efendi was the child of a member of the learned profession (ilmiye). Mehmet Cemal had seven years of schooling, at a middle school (Rüşdiye Mektebi).
At about 23, in 1875/76, Mehmet Cemal began work in Istanbul, with one unpaid year as a mülazım (apprentice) before a first salary of 300 kuruş. The annual lists begin in 1876/77, with Mehmet Cemal as an official for outgoing items (Mersule Memuru) in Istanbul, the birthplace, where the entries run to 1881/82. Mehmet Cemal then moved to Galata from 1882 to 1884. The last posts were in Istanbul again from 1889 to 1894.
Pay rose from 300 kuruş a month in 1876/77 to a peak of 500 in 1883/84, as Mersule Memuru in Galata, when 43 per cent of paid officials earned less. That salary was paid for a single year, and the next list gives 100 kuruş. Over 14 years pay ended below where it began, 175 kuruş against 300. After the last annual entry, for 1893/94, the list of 1894/95 (AH 1312) 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 1875/76 (AH 1292); 1876 to 1882 (AH 1293 to 1299)
240 to 300 kuruş a month; entries in 7 years
1889 to 1894 (AH 1307 to 1311)
No annual entry for 1884 to 1889 (AH 1302 to 1306) before it.
100 to 175 kuruş a month; entries in 5 years
Death recorded in the annual list of 1894/95 (AH 1312): 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1876/77 | 300 | 582.5 | 9% | |
| 1877/78 | 300 | 560 | 8% | |
| 1878 | 300 | 600 | 8% | |
| 1878/79 | 300 | 600 | 9% | |
| 1879/80 | 240 | 500 | 9% | |
| 1880/81 | 250 | 500 | 285 | 8% |
| 1881/82 | 250 | 500 | 375 | 8% |
| 1882/83 | 250 | 500 | 500 | 6% |
| 1883/84 | 500 | 500 | 500 | 43% |
| 1889/90 | 100 | 500 | 300 | 2% |
| 1890/91 | 125 | 500 | 285 | 4% |
| 1891/92 | 125 | 500 | 200 | 5% |
| 1892/93 | 175 | 500 | 200 | 9% |
| 1893/94 | 175 | 500 | 225 | 8% |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1875/76AH 1292 | First work | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 300first-salary field |
| 1876 to 1882AH 1293 to 1299 | Mersule Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 300 to 250 |
| 1882 to 1884AH 1300 to 1301 | Mersule Memuru | Galata | 250 to 500 |
| No annual entry: 1884 to 1889 (AH 1302 to 1306) | |||
| 1889 to 1894AH 1307 to 1311 | Memur | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 100 to 175 |
| 1894/95AH 1312 | Death recorded | ||
Record#
Personal
- Born
- 1851/52 (AH 1268)
- Birthplace
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- Community
- Muslim (Müslüman)
- Nationality as recorded
- Turkish
- Father's occupation
- ilmiye
- Death recorded
- 1894/95 (AH 1312)the year of the annual list with the word Vefat, not a date of death
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
- 1875/76 (AH 1292)
- Place
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- First salary field (kuruş a month)
- 300
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 879 officials with entries in Istanbul in the same years, Mehmet Cemal Efendi had the 639th highest salary.
- Emil Efendi12 shared years; highest salary 9,000 kuruş
- Salahattin Bey12 shared years; highest salary 7,800 kuruş
- Suleyman Resat Bey12 shared years; highest salary 7,000 kuruş
- Mehmet Hayri Bey12 shared years; highest salary 5,500 kuruş
- Mehmet Emin Bey12 shared years; highest salary 5,000 kuruş
Same job title, same years
Of the 14 officials with the title Mersule Memuru in the same years, Mehmet Cemal Efendi had the lowest salary.
- Ali Rıza Efendi9 shared years; highest salary 550 kuruş
- İsmail İsmet Efendi5 shared years; highest salary 600 kuruş
- Ohannes Abramiyan Efendi4 shared years; highest salary 1,100 kuruş
- Hasib Sami Efendi4 shared years; highest salary 700 kuruş
- Todori Efendi4 shared years; highest salary 700 kuruş
Same school
Of the 3,206 officials with Rüşdiye Mektebi among their schools, 3,200 have a recorded salary; Mehmet Cemal Efendi had the 1,253rd highest salary of them.
- Ahmet Cevdet Efendiborn 1851/52 (AH 1268); highest salary 450 kuruş
- Ahmet Hilmi Efendiborn 1851/52 (AH 1268); highest salary 800 kuruş
- Ahmet Kâşif Efendiborn 1851/52 (AH 1268); highest salary 600 kuruş
- Ahmet Nazif Efendiborn 1851/52 (AH 1268); highest salary 400 kuruş
- Ahmet Safvet Efendiborn 1851/52 (AH 1268); highest salary 700 kuruş
Same birthplace
Of the 1,999 officials born in Istanbul, 1,997 have a recorded salary; Mehmet Cemal Efendi had the 986th highest salary of them.
- Ahmet Hilmi Efendiborn 1851/52 (AH 1268); highest salary 800 kuruş
- Ahmet Rıfat Efendiborn 1851/52 (AH 1268); highest salary 650 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
First annual entry in the same year
Of the 120 officials whose first annual entry is for 1876/77 (AH 1293), Mehmet Cemal Efendi had the 78th highest salary.
- Mehmet Hayri Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 1,500 kuruş
- Ali Şefik Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 450 kuruş
- Vasıf Beyfirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 600 kuruş
- Mehmet Fahri Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 3,000 kuruş
- Kılınççıyan Naşit Efendi Veled-İ Agopfirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 500 kuruş
Full record
Annual entries (14)
| Year | Title | Place | Kuruş a month | Institution | Source | Archive reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1876/77AH 1293 | Mersule Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 300 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0099; 195 |
| 1877/78AH 1294 | Mersule Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 300 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0099; 195 |
| 1878AH 1295 | Mersule Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 300 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0099; 195 |
| 1878/79AH 1296 | Mersule Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 300 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0099; 195 |
| 1879/80AH 1297 | Mersule Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 240 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0099; 195 |
| 1880/81AH 1298 | Mersule Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 250 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0099; 195 |
| 1881/82AH 1299 | Mersule Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 250 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0099; 195 |
| 1882/83AH 1300 | Mersule Memuru | Galata | 250 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0099; 195 |
| 1883/84AH 1301 | Mersule Memuru | Galata | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0099; 195 |
| 1889/90AH 1307 | Memur | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 100 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0099; 195 |
| 1890/91AH 1308 | Memur | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 125 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0099; 195 |
| 1891/92AH 1309 | Memur | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 125 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0099; 195 |
| 1892/93AH 1310 | Memur | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 175 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0099; 195 |
| 1893/94AH 1311 | Memur | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 175 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0099; 195 |
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 | Mehmet Cemal 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 | ilmiye | 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) | 1292 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First work: Gregorian year as stored | 1875 | 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) | 300 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Status | ||
| Death recorded under the year (AH) | 1312 | 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.
- 14 annual entries of 14 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 Cemal Efendi
- Official for outgoing items (Mersule Memuru)
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- Rüşdiye school (Rüşdiye Mektebi)
- Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf)
- Muslim (Müslüman)
- Official (Memur)
- 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)