Official
Mehmet Mecdi Efendi
Muslim (Müslüman). Born in Hersek in 1870/71 (AH 1287). On record 1889 to 1895, 5 annual entries. Death recorded 1895/96.
Archive reference 45_246; 489
Life#
Mehmet Mecdi Efendi was born in Hersek in 1870/71 (AH 1287) into the Muslim (Müslüman) community; the father's occupation was "Ceza Reisi". Schooling took seven years, at a middle school (Rüşdiye Mektebi); Mehmet Mecdi also held a qualification (a diploma, certificate, training or decoration).
At about 16, in 1886/87, Mehmet Mecdi began work in Şebinkarahisar (Karahisar-ı Şarki), with three unpaid years as a mülazım (apprentice) before a first salary of 500 kuruş. The annual lists begin in 1889/90, with Mehmet Mecdi as a communications official (Muhabere Memuru) in Mount Athos (Aynaroz). Mehmet Mecdi then moved to Samsun, Shkodër (İşkodra) and Sivas from 1890 to 1893. The last post was in Cide in 1894/95.
Pay rose from 500 kuruş a month in 1889/90 to a peak of 800 in 1894/95, as Muhabere Memuru in Cide, when 81 per cent of paid officials earned less. The last annual entry is for 1894/95; the list of 1895/96 (AH 1313) 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 1870/71 (AH 1287)
Şebinkarahisar (Karahisar-ı Şarki)
First work 1886/87 (AH 1304)
1894/95 (AH 1312)
No annual entry for 1893/94 (AH 1311) before it.
800 kuruş a month; entries in 1 year
Death recorded in the annual list of 1895/96 (AH 1313): 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1889/90 | 500 | 500 | 400 | 42% |
| 1890/91 | 380 | 500 | 400 | 22% |
| 1891/92 | 600 | 500 | 400 | 59% |
| 1892/93 | 600 | 500 | 400 | 59% |
| 1894/95 | 800 | 500 | 400 | 81% |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1886/87AH 1304 | First work | Şebinkarahisar (Karahisar-ı Şarki) | 500first-salary field |
| 1889/90AH 1307 | Muhabere Memuru | Mount Athos (Aynaroz) | 500 |
| 1890/91AH 1308 | Muhabere Memuru | Samsun | 380 |
| 1891/92AH 1309 | Muhabere Memuru | Shkodër (İşkodra) | 600 |
| 1892/93AH 1310 | Muhabere Memuru | Sivas | 600 |
| No annual entry: 1893/94 (AH 1311) | |||
| 1894/95AH 1312 | Muhabere Memuru | Cide | 800 |
| 1895/96AH 1313 | Death recorded | ||
Record#
Personal
- Born
- 1870/71 (AH 1287)
- Birthplace
- Hersek
- Community
- Muslim (Müslüman)
- Nationality as recorded
- Turkish
- Father's occupation
- Ceza Reisi
- Death recorded
- 1895/96 (AH 1313)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)
- 3 years
- Preparation route (classification of the paper)
- Middle
- Qualification (diploma, certificate, training or nişan)
- 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
- 1886/87 (AH 1304)
- First salary field (kuruş a month)
- 500
Legal records
- Legal record note as worded
- Zimmet / Görev ihmal / bir seneden beri kefil veremediği gibi hasılattan da zimmetine bin beş yüz doksan yedi kuruş on para geçirdiği tebeyyün etmekle üç yüz on bir senesi Cemaziyelevvelinin on sekizinde 15 Teşrinisani sene 1309 azl ile ahiran mezkur zimmetinden bin kuruşunu nezaret veznesine teslim ettiği ve İşkodra merkezinde bulunduğu zaman zayi ettiği iki kıta taahhütlü mektuptan dolayı aranılan yüz Frank ceza-yı nakdi ile zimmeti küsuru olan beş yüz doksan yedi kuruş on paranın rub maaşından tahsil olunup teslim-i vezne edilmek üzere bin üç yüz on bir senesi Ramazanının yirmi beşinde 20 Mart sene 1310 sekiz yüz kuruş maaşla Cide Telgraf Muhabere Memuriyeti'ne nakledilip bazı mühim şifreli telgrafnamelerin tehirine sebebiyet verdiğinden bin üç yüz on üç senesi Muharreminin dokuzunda 2 Haziran sene 1311 azledildiği; Zimmet
- Years (AH) with a criminal-record mark in the annual records
- 1312
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 5 officials with entries in Mount Athos (Aynaroz) in the same years, Mehmet Mecdi Efendi had the 2nd highest salary.
- Mehmet Cemil Efendi1 shared year; highest salary 1,000 kuruş
- Kirkor Efendi1 shared year; highest salary 750 kuruş
- Mehmet Agah Efendi1 shared year; highest salary 750 kuruş
- Mustafa Nuri Efendi1 shared year; highest salary 500 kuruş
Same job title, same years
Of the 1,196 officials with the title Muhabere Memuru in the same years, Mehmet Mecdi Efendi had the 217th highest salary.
- Mehmet Arif Efendi5 shared years; highest salary 3,600 kuruş
- Halil Habib Efendi5 shared years; highest salary 3,000 kuruş
- Mehmet Hulusi Bey5 shared years; highest salary 2,600 kuruş
- Süleyman Reşid Efendi5 shared years; highest salary 2,500 kuruş
- Ahmet Emin Efendi5 shared years; highest salary 2,000 kuruş
Same school
Of the 3,206 officials with Rüşdiye Mektebi among their schools, 3,200 have a recorded salary; Mehmet Mecdi Efendi had the 477th highest salary of them.
- Abdulgafur Sufi Efendiborn 1870/71 (AH 1287); highest salary 600 kuruş
- Abdülkerim Efendiborn 1870/71 (AH 1287); highest salary 400 kuruş
- Abdullah Mazhar Efendiborn 1870/71 (AH 1287); highest salary 800 kuruş
- Abdurrezak Bey Efendiborn 1870/71 (AH 1287); highest salary 1,000 kuruş
- Ahmed Talat Efendiborn 1870/71 (AH 1287); highest salary 500 kuruş
Same birthplace
Of the 8 officials born in Hersek, Mehmet Mecdi Efendi had the 3rd highest salary.
- Mustafa Mazhar Efendiborn 1863/64 (AH 1280); highest salary 600 kuruş
- Ahmet Azmi Beyborn 1862/63 (AH 1279); highest salary 680 kuruş
- Hasan Fahri Efendiborn 1879/80 (AH 1297); highest salary 250 kuruş
- Hasan Tahsin Efendiborn 1857/58 (AH 1274); highest salary 600 kuruş
- İbrahim Edhem Efendiborn 1857/58 (AH 1274); highest salary 4,000 kuruş
First annual entry in the same year
Of the 116 officials whose first annual entry is for 1889/90 (AH 1307), Mehmet Mecdi Efendi had the 20th highest salary.
- Mustafa Nuri Efendifirst entry in Mount Athos (Aynaroz); highest salary 500 kuruş
- Agop Efendifirst entry in Beyoğlu; highest salary 150 kuruş
- Ahmet Avni Efendifirst entry in Galata; highest salary 5,000 kuruş
- Hasan Remzi Efendifirst entry in Yeni camii postanesi; highest salary 300 kuruş
- Hasan Tahsin Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 1,000 kuruş
Full record
Annual entries (5)
| Year | Title | Place | Kuruş a month | Institution | Source | Archive reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1889/90AH 1307 | Muhabere Memuru | Mount Athos (Aynaroz) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 45_246; 489 |
| 1890/91AH 1308 | Muhabere Memuru | Samsun | 380 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 45_246; 489 |
| 1891/92AH 1309 | Muhabere Memuru | Shkodër (İşkodra) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 45_246; 489 |
| 1892/93AH 1310 | Muhabere Memuru | Sivas | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 45_246; 489 |
| 1894/95AH 1312 | Muhabere Memuru | Cide | 800 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 45_246; 489 |
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 (18)
| Field | Recorded value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | ||
| Name | Mehmet Mecdi Efendi | Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Birth year (AH) | 1287 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Birthplace | hersek | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Province of birth | bosna | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Father's occupation | ceza reisi | 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) | 3 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First work | ||
| First work: year (AH) | 1304 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First work: Gregorian year as stored | 1887 | Recovered annual personnel extract |
| First work: place | Karahisari sarki | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First salary field (kuruş a month) | 500 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Legal records | ||
| Legal record note as worded | Zimmet / Görev ihmal / bir seneden beri kefil veremediği gibi hasılattan da zimmetine bin beş yüz doksan yedi kuruş on para geçirdiği tebeyyün etmekle üç yüz on bir senesi Cemaziyelevvelinin on sekizinde 15 Teşrinisani sene 1309 azl ile ahiran mezkur zimmetinden bin kuruşunu nezaret veznesine teslim ettiği ve İşkodra merkezinde bulunduğu zaman zayi ettiği iki kıta taahhütlü mektuptan dolayı aranılan yüz Frank ceza-yı nakdi ile zimmeti küsuru olan beş yüz doksan yedi kuruş on paranın rub maaşından tahsil olunup teslim-i vezne edilmek üzere bin üç yüz on bir senesi Ramazanının yirmi beşinde 20 Mart sene 1310 sekiz yüz kuruş maaşla Cide Telgraf Muhabere Memuriyeti'ne nakledilip bazı mühim şifreli telgrafnamelerin tehirine sebebiyet verdiğinden bin üç yüz on üç senesi Muharreminin dokuzunda 2 Haziran sene 1311 azledildiği used on this page | Legal notes (earlier workbook copy); Legal notes (later workbook copy) |
| Legal record note as worded | Zimmet other value | Legal notes (earlier workbook copy); Legal notes (later workbook copy) |
| Years (AH) with a criminal-record mark in the annual records | 1312 | Later annual personnel extract |
| Status | ||
| Death recorded under the year (AH) | 1313 | Earlier annual personnel extract (original copy); Earlier annual personnel extract (parallel copy) |
What the sources named in this table are
- Legal notes (earlier workbook copy)
- A workbook of notes on legal records. The wording is kept as written. It may hold an accusation or an acquittal, it is not the finding of a court, and its year is the year of the record, not the date of an event.
- Legal notes (later workbook copy)
- A later copy of the workbook of notes on legal records. The same wording in both copies is one note, not two.
- 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.
- Later annual personnel extract
- The detailed annual personnel file of October 2025. It marks single annual entries with a criminal-record flag and holds status words such as Vefat. For a death, the year is the year of the annual list in which the status word stands.
- 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.
- The sources give more than one value for a marked field. Every value is listed.
- Origin of the record: Post and Telegraph personnel records.
- 5 annual entries of 5 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 Mecdi Efendi
- Communications official (Muhabere Memuru)
- Mount Athos (Aynaroz)
- Hersek
- 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)