Official
Sarafim Saryan Efendi
Armenian Christian (Ermeni). Born in Istanbul (Dersaadet) in 1861/62 (AH 1278). On record 1888 to 1905, 17 annual entries.
Archive reference 58- 171;335
Life#
Sarafim Saryan Efendi was born in Istanbul in 1861/62 (AH 1278) into the Armenian Christian (Ermeni) community. Schooling took four years, at a school for young children (Sıbyan Mektebi).
At about 24, in 1885/86, Sarafim Saryan began work in Istanbul, paid from the start, on 150 kuruş a month. The first annual entry, for 1888/89, places Sarafim Saryan in Istanbul, the birthplace, as an official (Memur), where the entries run to 1903/04. The last post was in Beyoğlu in 1904/05, with a rise to official for foreign communications (Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti).
The salary went from 150 kuruş a month in 1888/89 to 700 in 1904/05, the peak, as Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti in Beyoğlu, when three in four paid officials earned less. Over 17 years the salaries add up to 61,080 kuruş, 60 per cent of what an official on the median salary earned. The last annual entry is for 1904/05.
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 1861/62 (AH 1278); First work 1885/86 (AH 1303); 1888 to 1904 (AH 1306 to 1321)
First work as Memur
Memur 1888/89 (AH 1306); Tahrirati Ecnebiye Kalemi 1889 to 1904 (AH 1307 to 1321)
150 to 500 kuruş a month; entries in 16 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1888/89 | 150 | 500 | 375 | 2% |
| 1889/90 | 150 | 500 | 725 | 5% |
| 1890/91 | 200 | 500 | 725 | 8% |
| 1891/92 | 200 | 500 | 725 | 9% |
| 1892/93 | 220 | 500 | 725 | 12% |
| 1893/94 | 220 | 500 | 737.5 | 13% |
| 1894/95 | 250 | 500 | 572.5 | 13% |
| 1895/96 | 250 | 500 | 626 | 13% |
| 1896/97 | 250 | 500 | 652 | 13% |
| 1897/98 | 250 | 500 | 626 | 14% |
| 1898/99 | 350 | 500 | 652 | 26% |
| 1899/1900 | 350 | 500 | 750 | 26% |
| 1900/01 | 350 | 500 | 750 | 25% |
| 1901/02 | 350 | 500 | 750 | 27% |
| 1902/03 | 350 | 500 | 700 | 29% |
| 1903/04 | 500 | 475 | 51% | |
| 1904/05 | 700 | 450 | 455 | 75% |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1885/86AH 1303 | Memurfirst work | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 150first-salary field |
| 1888/89AH 1306 | Memur | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 150 |
| 1889 to 1904AH 1307 to 1321 | Tahrirati Ecnebiye Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 150 to 500 |
| 1904/05AH 1322 | Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti | Beyoğlu | 700 |
Record#
Personal
- Born
- 1861/62 (AH 1278)
- Birthplace
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- Community
- Armenian Christian (Ermeni)
- Nationality as recorded
- Ermeni
Education
- Primary
- Sıbyan Mektebi (4 years)school for young children (primary school)
- Unpaid years (mülazemet)
- 0 years
- Preparation route (classification of the paper)
- Low
- Qualification (diploma, certificate, training or nişan)
- NoShown as in the flag of the paper. The qualification column of the recovered extract gives yes.
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
- 1885/86 (AH 1303)
- Place
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- First job as worded
- Memur
- Age at first work (workbook field)
- 25
- First salary field (kuruş a month)
- 150
- First-job salary of the original workbook (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 1,164 officials with entries in Istanbul in the same years, Sarafim Saryan Efendi had the 492nd highest salary.
- Salahattin Bey16 shared years; highest salary 7,800 kuruş
- Suleyman Resat Bey16 shared years; highest salary 7,000 kuruş
- Mehmet Hayri Bey16 shared years; highest salary 5,500 kuruş
- Melkok Efendi16 shared years; highest salary 5,000 kuruş
- Dikran Efendi16 shared years; highest salary 4,500 kuruş
Same job title, same years
Of the 9 officials with the title Tahrirati Ecnebiye Kalemi in the same years, Sarafim Saryan Efendi had the 7th highest salary.
- Oseb Yosef Efendi15 shared years; highest salary 750 kuruş
- Jory Raymon Efendi14 shared years; highest salary 2,400 kuruş
- Dikran Efendi13 shared years; highest salary 4,500 kuruş
- Mehmet Fahri Efendi10 shared years; highest salary 2,500 kuruş
- Salih Safi Efendi9 shared years; highest salary 800 kuruş
Same school
Of the 746 officials with Sıbyan Mektebi among their schools, 745 have a recorded salary; Sarafim Saryan Efendi had the 356th highest salary of them.
- Ahmet Hamdi Efendiborn 1861/62 (AH 1278); highest salary 400 kuruş
- Ahmet Mümtaz Efendiborn 1861/62 (AH 1278); highest salary 500 kuruş
- Ali Rıza Rahim Efendiborn 1861/62 (AH 1278); highest salary 600 kuruş
- Cemil Efendiborn 1861/62 (AH 1278); highest salary 570 kuruş
- Firdevs Efendiborn 1861/62 (AH 1278); highest salary 350 kuruş
Same birthplace
Of the 1,999 officials born in Istanbul, 1,997 have a recorded salary; Sarafim Saryan Efendi had the 704th highest salary of them.
- Ahmet Hamdi Efendiborn 1861/62 (AH 1278); highest salary 285 kuruş
- Ahmet Refik Efendiborn 1861/62 (AH 1278); highest salary 400 kuruş
- Ahmet Tevfik Beyborn 1861/62 (AH 1278); highest salary 800 kuruş
- Ali Galip Efendiborn 1861/62 (AH 1278); highest salary 100 kuruş
- Arganyan Karekin Efendiborn 1861/62 (AH 1278); highest salary 850 kuruş
First annual entry in the same year
Of the 114 officials whose first annual entry is for 1888/89 (AH 1306), 113 have a recorded salary; Sarafim Saryan Efendi had the 36th highest salary of them.
- Mahmud Kamil Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 400 kuruş
- Mustafa Lütfü Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 325 kuruş
- Ali Rıza Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 220 kuruş
- Hüseyin Tahsin Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 750 kuruş
- Mehmet Kadri Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 775 kuruş
Full record
Annual entries (17)
| Year | Title | Place | Kuruş a month | Institution | Source | Archive reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1888/89AH 1306 | Memur | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 150 | Other | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 58- 171;335 |
| 1889/90AH 1307 | Tahrirati Ecnebiye Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 150 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 171;335 |
| 1890/91AH 1308 | Tahrirati Ecnebiye Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 200 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 171;335 |
| 1891/92AH 1309 | Tahrirati Ecnebiye Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 200 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 171;335 |
| 1892/93AH 1310 | Tahrirati Ecnebiye Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 220 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 171;335 |
| 1893/94AH 1311 | Tahrirati Ecnebiye Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 220 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 171;335 |
| 1894/95AH 1312 | Tahrirati Ecnebiye Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 250 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 171;335 |
| 1895/96AH 1313 | Tahrirati Ecnebiye Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 250 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 171;335 |
| 1896/97AH 1314 | Tahrirati Ecnebiye Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 250 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 171;335 |
| 1897/98AH 1315 | Tahrirati Ecnebiye Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 250 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 171;335 |
| 1898/99AH 1316 | Tahrirati Ecnebiye Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 350 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 171;335 |
| 1899/1900AH 1317 | Tahrirati Ecnebiye Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 350 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 171;335 |
| 1900/01AH 1318 | Tahrirati Ecnebiye Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 350 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 171;335 |
| 1901/02AH 1319 | Tahrirati Ecnebiye Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 350 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 171;335 |
| 1902/03AH 1320 | Tahrirati Ecnebiye Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 350 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 171;335 |
| 1903/04AH 1321 | Tahrirati Ecnebiye Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 171;335 |
| 1904/05AH 1322 | Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti | Beyoğlu | 700 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 171;335 |
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 (23)
| Field | Recorded value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | ||
| Name | Sarafim Saryan Efendi | Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Linked personnel workbook |
| Birth year (AH) | 1278 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Birthplace | dersaadet used on this page | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Birthplace | istanbul other value | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Birthplace: district (kaza) | istanbul | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Birthplace: sancak | istanbul | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Birthplace: province (vilayet) | istanbul | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Province of birth | dersaadet | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Religion | Hristiyan | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Nationality or community | Ermeni | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Schooling | ||
| School | Sibyan Mektebi | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Years of schooling | 4 | 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) | 1303 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Linked personnel workbook |
| First work: Gregorian year as stored | 1886 | Recovered annual personnel extract |
| First work: place | istanbul | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First work: district (kaza) | istanbul | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First work: sancak | istanbul | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First work: province (vilayet) | istanbul | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First job as worded | Memur | Linked personnel workbook; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Age at first work (workbook field) | 25 | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First salary field (kuruş a month) | 150 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First-job salary of the original workbook (kuruş a month) | 150 | 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.
- The sources give more than one value for a marked field. Every value is listed.
- Origin of the record: Post and Telegraph personnel records.
- 16 annual entries of 17 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
- Sarafim Saryan Efendi
- Tahrirati Ecnebiye Kalemi
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- School for young children (Sıbyan Mektebi)
- Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf)
- Armenian Christian (Ermeni)
- 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)