Official
Mehmet Ali Efendi
Muslim (Müslüman). Born in Erzurum in 1873/74 (AH 1290). On record 1890 to 1906, 16 annual entries.
Archive reference 119-96-187
Life#
Mehmet Ali Efendi was born in Erzurum in 1873/74 (AH 1290) into the Muslim (Müslüman) community; the father was a telegraph official (telgraf memuru). Schooling took seven years, at a middle school (Rüşdiye Mektebi).
At about 17, in 1890/91, Mehmet Ali began work in the postal service (Posta) in Hamur, paid from the start, on 300 kuruş a month. The annual lists begin in 1890/91, with Mehmet Ali in the Memleha Kitabeti in Hamur. Mehmet Ali then moved to Narman (Namervan) and Hınıs from 1891 to 1897. The last posts were in Varto from 1897 to 1906, with a rise to communications official (Muhabere Memuru).
Pay rose from 300 kuruş a month in 1890/91 to a peak of 500 in 1891/92, in the Memleha Kitabeti in Narman, when 43 per cent of paid officials earned less. The last annual entry is for 1905/06. An entry in "Erzurum vilayeti doğumlu Osmanlı uleması Bab-ı Meşihat Arşivi ulema sicil ..." by SİNAN ÇAKMAK (2023) probably refers to Mehmet Ali, 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.
Not on the map, as no position is recorded: stop 2 (Hamur).
Born 1873/74 (AH 1290)
Hamur not on the map
First work 1890/91 (AH 1308); 1890/91 (AH 1308)
First work as Posta
300 kuruş a month; entries in 1 year
1891 to 1893 (AH 1309 to 1310)
500 kuruş a month; entries in 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1890/91 | 300 | 500 | 15% | |
| 1891/92 | 500 | 500 | 43% | |
| 1892/93 | 500 | 500 | 44% | |
| 1893/94 | 124 | 500 | 5% | |
| 1894/95 | 124 | 500 | 5% | |
| 1895/96 | 124 | 500 | 5% | |
| 1896/97 | 124 | 500 | 5% | |
| 1897/98 | 500 | 500 | 400 | 49% |
| 1898/99 | 500 | 500 | 400 | 48% |
| 1899/1900 | 500 | 500 | 400 | 47% |
| 1900/01 | 500 | 500 | 400 | 47% |
| 1901/02 | 500 | 500 | 400 | 49% |
| 1902/03 | 500 | 500 | 380 | 49% |
| 1903/04 | 500 | 475 | 350 | 51% |
| 1904/05 | 500 | 450 | 350 | 52% |
| 1905/06 | 500 | 475 | 330 | 50% |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1890/91AH 1308 | Postafirst work | Hamur | 300first-salary field |
| 1890/91AH 1308 | Memleha Kitabeti | Hamur | 300 |
| 1891 to 1893AH 1309 to 1310 | Memleha Kitabeti | Narman (Namervan) | 500 |
| 1893 to 1897AH 1311 to 1314 | Muallim | Hınıs | 124 |
| 1897 to 1906AH 1315 to 1323 | Muhabere Memuru | Varto | 500 |
Record#
Personal
- Born
- 1873/74 (AH 1290)
- Birthplace
- Erzurum
- Community
- Muslim (Müslüman)
- Nationality as recorded
- Turkish
- Father's occupation
- Telgraf Memuru
Education
- Rüşdiye
- Rüşdiye Mektebi (7 years)rüşdiye school (middle school); place of the school as worded: hinis
- Unpaid years (mülazemet)
- 0 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
- 1890/91 (AH 1308)
- Place
- Hamur
- First job as worded
- Posta
- Age at first work (workbook field)
- 18
- First salary field (kuruş a month)
- 300
- First-job salary of the original workbook (kuruş a month)
- 300
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.
Erzurum vilayeti doğumlu Osmanlı uleması Bab-ı Meşihat Arşivi ulema sicil dosyalarına göre (SİNAN ÇAKMAK, 2023). Name as printed: MEHMED ALİ EFENDİ. PDF pages 100 and 101.
Probable link: same name and birthplace
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 4 officials with entries in Hınıs in the same years, Mehmet Ali Efendi had the 3rd highest salary.
- Mahmut Celaleddin Efendi4 shared years; highest salary 480 kuruş
- Halil Efendi3 shared years; highest salary 600 kuruş
- Mehmet Nuri Efendi1 shared year; highest salary 600 kuruş
Same job title, same years
Of the 1,653 officials with the title Muhabere Memuru in the same years, Mehmet Ali Efendi had the 603rd highest salary.
- Mehmet Hulusi Bey9 shared years; highest salary 2,600 kuruş
- Mustafa Fazıl Bey9 shared years; highest salary 1,700 kuruş
- Mehmet Sadullah Efendi9 shared years; highest salary 1,650 kuruş
- Mehmet Asım Efendi9 shared years; highest salary 1,550 kuruş
- Mehmet Hurşit Efendi9 shared years; highest salary 1,500 kuruş
Same school
Of the 3,206 officials with Rüşdiye Mektebi among their schools, 3,200 have a recorded salary; Mehmet Ali Efendi had the 1,253rd highest salary of them.
- Abbas Rüştü Efendiborn 1873/74 (AH 1290); highest salary 1,500 kuruş
- Abdülaziz Efendiborn 1873/74 (AH 1290); highest salary 750 kuruş
- Abdülbaki Efendiborn 1873/74 (AH 1290); highest salary 400 kuruş
- Abdülkerim Efendiborn 1873/74 (AH 1290); highest salary 675 kuruş
- Abdullah Efendiborn 1873/74 (AH 1290); highest salary 720 kuruş
Same birthplace
Of the 56 officials born in Erzurum, Mehmet Ali Efendi had the 27th highest salary.
- Arif Efendiborn 1873/74 (AH 1290); highest salary 540 kuruş
- Mustafa Sıdkı Efendiborn 1873/74 (AH 1290); highest salary 200 kuruş
- Ahmet Şükrü Efendiborn 1872/73 (AH 1289); highest salary 500 kuruş
- İbrahim Ethem Efendiborn 1872/73 (AH 1289); highest salary 1,060 kuruş
- Serkiz Hastayan Efendiborn 1874/75 (AH 1291); highest salary 450 kuruş
First annual entry in the same year
Of the 102 officials whose first annual entry is for 1890/91 (AH 1308), Mehmet Ali Efendi had the 57th highest salary.
- Abbas Rüştü Efendifirst entry in Amasya; highest salary 1,500 kuruş
- Abdullah Zühtü Efendifirst entry in Kırkağaç; highest salary 400 kuruş
- Ali İrfan Efendifirst entry in Tosya; highest salary 400 kuruş
- Arif Efendifirst entry in Van; highest salary 540 kuruş
- Kigork Zihni Efendifirst entry in Ankara; highest salary 900 kuruş
Full record
Annual entries (16)
| Year | Title | Place | Kuruş a month | Institution | Source | Archive reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1890/91AH 1308 | Memleha Kitabeti | Hamur | 300 | Other | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 119-96-187 |
| 1891/92AH 1309 | Memleha Kitabeti | Narman (Namervan) | 500 | Other | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 119-96-187 |
| 1892/93AH 1310 | Memleha Kitabeti | Narman (Namervan) | 500 | Other | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 119-96-187 |
| 1893/94AH 1311 | Muallim | Hınıs | 124 | Other | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 119-96-187 |
| 1894/95AH 1312 | Muallim | Hınıs | 124 | Other | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 119-96-187 |
| 1895/96AH 1313 | Muallim | Hınıs | 124 | Other | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 119-96-187 |
| 1896/97AH 1314 | Muallim | Hınıs | 124 | Other | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 119-96-187 |
| 1897/98AH 1315 | Muhabere Memuru | Varto | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 119-96-187 |
| 1898/99AH 1316 | Muhabere Memuru | Varto | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 119-96-187 |
| 1899/1900AH 1317 | Muhabere Memuru | Varto | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 119-96-187 |
| 1900/01AH 1318 | Muhabere Memuru | Varto | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 119-96-187 |
| 1901/02AH 1319 | Muhabere Memuru | Varto | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 119-96-187 |
| 1902/03AH 1320 | Muhabere Memuru | Varto | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 119-96-187 |
| 1903/04AH 1321 | Muhabere Memuru | Varto | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 119-96-187 |
| 1904/05AH 1322 | Muhabere Memuru | Varto | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 119-96-187 |
| 1905/06AH 1323 | Muhabere Memuru | Varto | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 119-96-187 |
What the sources named in this table are
- Cross-ministry personnel workbook
- A personnel workbook with the annual entries in institutions other than the Post and Telegraph (justice, land registry, customs, police and others), with the same annual fields as the personnel workbook.
- 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 (24)
| Field | Recorded value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | ||
| Name | Mehmet Ali Efendi | Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Linked personnel workbook |
| Birth year (AH) | 1290 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Birthplace | erzurum | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Birthplace: district (kaza) | Erzurum | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Birthplace: sancak | Erzurum | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Birthplace: province (vilayet) | Erzurum | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Province of birth | erzurum | 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; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Religion | Musluman | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Nationality or community | Turkish | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Schooling | ||
| School | Rusdiye Mektebi | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Place of the school | hinis | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Years of schooling | 7 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Years of apprenticeship (mülazemet) | 0 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First work | ||
| First work: year (AH) | 1308 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Linked personnel workbook |
| First work: Gregorian year as stored | 1891 | Recovered annual personnel extract |
| First work: place | Hamur | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First work: district (kaza) | Karakilise | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First work: sancak | Bayezid | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First work: province (vilayet) | Erzurum | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First job as worded | Posta | Linked personnel workbook; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Age at first work (workbook field) | 18 | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First salary field (kuruş a month) | 300 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First-job salary of the original workbook (kuruş a month) | 300 | Linked personnel workbook; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
What the sources named in this table are
- Cross-ministry personnel workbook
- A personnel workbook with the annual entries in institutions other than the Post and Telegraph (justice, land registry, customs, police and others), with the same annual fields as the personnel workbook.
- 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.
- Linked personnel workbook
- The original personnel workbook, from which selected fields on background and first work are taken.
- Origin of the record: Post and Telegraph personnel records.
- 9 annual entries of 16 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 Ali Efendi
- Communications official (Muhabere Memuru)
- Varto
- Erzurum
- Rüşdiye school (Rüşdiye 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)