Skip to content
Ottoman BureaucracyPeople, places and careers in Ottoman public service

Official

Lütfü Efendi

Muslim (Müslüman). Born in Çorum in 1887/88 (AH 1305). On record 1909 to 1911, 2 annual entries.

Archive reference 187-185-183

Compare Lütfü Efendi with other officials

Life

Born in Çorum in 1887/88 (AH 1305) into the Muslim (Müslüman) community, Lütfü Efendi was the child of a land registry official (tapu memuru). Schooling took seven years, at a middle school (Rüşdiye Mektebi); Lütfü also held a qualification (a diploma, certificate, training or decoration). In all Lütfü knew four languages, Arabic, French, Persian and Turkish, all in writing; fewer than 5 per cent of the 5,211 officials knew as many.

Work began in Afyonkarahisar (Karahisar-ı Sahib) in 1909/10, at about 21, paid from the start, on 250 kuruş a month. The first annual entry, for 1909/10, places Lütfü in Afyonkarahisar as a communications official (Muhabere Memuru). The last post was in Van in 1910/11.

Pay rose from 250 kuruş a month in 1909/10 to a peak of 500 in 1910/11, as Muhabere Memuru in Van, when 47 per cent of paid officials earned less. The last annual entry is for 1910/11. An entry in "Sicil-i Ahval Defterlerine göre Çorumlu devlet memurları (1879-1909)" by HAYRETTİN ÖRS (2019) probably refers to Lütfü, since the name and the birthplace agree.

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.

All 3 stops
birthplacefirst workplace of annual entriesmove, with the year of the first entry there
1909/101910/11123ÇorumAfyonkarahisarVan

  1. Çorum

    Born 1887/88 (AH 1305)

  2. Afyonkarahisar (Karahisar-ı Sahib)

    First work 1909/10 (AH 1327); 1909/10 (AH 1327)

    Muhabere Memuru

    250 kuruş a month; entries in 1 year

  3. Van

    1910/11 (AH 1328)

    Muhabere Memuru

    500 kuruş a month; entries in 1 year

Career and salary

All years
Monthly salary by year, kuruşsalary of the yearyears with one job titleno annual entry
02004006001909/10AH 13271910/11AH 1328500 kuruşMuhabere Memuru
Salary against the medians of the same year
2005001909/10AH 13271910/11AH 1328This officialMedian, all officialsMedian, same title

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
Salary of Lütfü Efendi against the medians of the same year, kuruş a month
YearSalaryMedian, all officialsMedian, same titleMedian, same provincePaid less
1909/10250462.530013%
1910/1150050030047%

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.

Career of Lütfü Efendi, one row per stage
YearsTitlePlaceSalary (kuruş a month)
1909/10AH 1327First workAfyonkarahisar (Karahisar-ı Sahib)250first-salary field
1909/10AH 1327Muhabere MemuruAfyonkarahisar (Karahisar-ı Sahib)250
1910/11AH 1328Muhabere MemuruVan500

Record

Personal

Born
1887/88 (AH 1305)
Birthplace
Çorum
Community
Muslim (Müslüman)
Nationality as recorded
turkish
Father's occupation
tapu memuru

Education

Rüşdiye
Rüşdiye Mektebi (7 years)rüşdiye school (middle school)
Unpaid years (mülazemet)
0 years
Qualification (diploma, certificate, training or nişan)
Yes

The years count all schooling up to that school, as the record gives them.

Languages

Arabic
Kitabetwriting
French
Kitabetwriting
Persian
Kitabetwriting
Turkish
Kitabetwriting

The glosses are cautious historical readings of the recorded words, not modern levels of proficiency.

First work

Year
1909/10 (AH 1327)
First salary field (kuruş a month)
250

Named in scholarly works

No link between a work and an official has been accepted. Each entry was found by fixed rules on the name and the recorded fields, and says what it rests on.

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 2 officials who held Muhabere Memuru in Van in the same years, Lütfü Efendi had the highest salary.

Same place, same years

Of the 3 officials with entries in Van in the same years, Lütfü Efendi had the 2nd highest salary.

All 94 officials with entries in Van

Same job title, same years

Of the 97 officials with the title Muhabere Memuru in the same years, Lütfü Efendi had the 14th highest salary.

All 3,162 officials with the title Muhabere Memuru

Same school

Of the 3,206 officials with Rüşdiye Mektebi among their schools, 3,200 have a recorded salary; Lütfü Efendi had the 1,253rd highest salary of them.

All 3,206 officials with Rüşdiye Mektebi

Same birthplace

Of the 7 officials born in Çorum, Lütfü Efendi had the 3rd highest salary.

The page of Çorum, with the 7 officials born there

First annual entry in the same year

Of the 123 officials whose first annual entry is for 1909/10 (AH 1327), 122 have a recorded salary; Lütfü Efendi had the 7th highest salary of them.

All 123 officials whose first annual entry is for 1909/10 (AH 1327)

Full record

Annual entries (2)

Annual entries of Lütfü Efendi
YearTitlePlaceKuruş a monthInstitutionSourceArchive reference
1909/10AH 1327Muhabere MemuruAfyonkarahisar (Karahisar-ı Sahib)250Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf)Recovered annual personnel extract187-185-183
1910/11AH 1328Muhabere MemuruVan500Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf)Recovered annual personnel extract187-185-183
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 (13)

Recorded values of Lütfü Efendi with their sources
FieldRecorded valueSource
Identity
NameLütfü EfendiPersonnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract
Birth year (AH)1305Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract
BirthplacecorumRecovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract
Province of birthankaraRecovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract
Father's occupationtapu memuruRecovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract
ReligionmuslumanRecovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract
Nationality or communityturkishRecovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract
Schooling
Schoolrusdiye mektebiRecovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract
Years of schooling7Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract
Years of apprenticeship (mülazemet)0Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract
First work
First work: year (AH)1327Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract
First work: placekarahisari sahipRecovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract
First salary field (kuruş a month)250Recovered 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.

How to read this record: calendar years, years without an annual entry, salaries and sources.

Subjects