Official
Nesim Efendi
Jewish (Musevi). Born in Edirne in 1846/47 (AH 1263). On record 1863 to 1881, 19 annual entries.
Archive reference 42_12; 21
Life#
Born in Edirne in 1846/47 (AH 1263), Nesim Efendi came from the Jewish (Musevi) community; the father was a merchant (tüccar). Nesim had four years of schooling, at a school for young children (Sıbyan Mektebi), attended the telegraph school as well, and knew five languages, French, Hebrew, Spanish and Turkish in writing and Greek (Rum) in speech. Spanish was rare in the service, known to no other of the 5,211 officials.
Work began in the telegraph service (Telgraf) in Trikala (Tırhala) in 1863/64, at about 16, paid from the start, on 400 kuruş a month. The first annual entry, for 1863/64, places Nesim in Trikala as a communications official (Muhabere Memuru). Next came five places in nine years, with a rise to director of the second grade (2. Müdür) in 1871/72, then a return to Rhodes from 1874 to 1878, with a rise to director of the first grade (1. Müdür). The last posts were in Ioannina in 1878 and Plovdiv in 1878/79 and Istanbul again from 1879 to 1881. Few officials served in as many provinces; fewer than 4 per cent of the 5,200 officials with a place of service did.
The salary went from 400 kuruş a month in 1863/64 to 1,500 in 1878, the peak, as 1. Müdür in Ioannina, when 87 per cent of paid officials earned less. The last annual entry is for 1880/81.
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 1846/47 (AH 1263)
First work 1863/64 (AH 1280); 1863 to 1865 (AH 1280 to 1281)
First work as Telgraf
400 kuruş a month; entries in 2 years
1869 to 1871 (AH 1286 to 1287)
400 to 550 kuruş a month; entries in 2 years
1879 to 1881 (AH 1297 to 1298)
Muhasebe Kalemi 1879/80 (AH 1297); Hazinei Hassa Memuru 1880/81 (AH 1298)
1,000 to 1,400 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, 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
| Year | Salary | Median, all officials | Median, same title | Median, same province | Paid less |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1863/64 | 400 | 500 | 500 | 500 | 25% |
| 1864/65 | 400 | 625 | 570 | 500 | 20% |
| 1865/66 | 576 | 650 | 576 | 1,320 | 38% |
| 1866/67 | 800 | 600 | 1,000 | 900 | 62% |
| 1867/68 | 800 | 600 | 1,000 | 800 | 61% |
| 1868/69 | 800 | 600 | 1,000 | 800 | 61% |
| 1869/70 | 400 | 600 | 400 | 520 | 18% |
| 1870/71 | 550 | 600 | 475 | 500 | 47% |
| 1871/72 | 950 | 550 | 855 | 707.5 | 77% |
| 1872/73 | 950 | 550 | 850 | 975 | 77% |
| 1873/74 | 1,000 | 500 | 830 | 600 | 79% |
| 1874/75 | 1,200 | 535 | 1,300 | 1,110 | 85% |
| 1875/76 | 1,200 | 530 | 1,200 | 1,075 | 85% |
| 1876/77 | 1,200 | 582.5 | 1,225 | 800 | 84% |
| 1877/78 | 1,200 | 560 | 1,225 | 800 | 85% |
| 1878 | 1,500 | 600 | 1,250 | 600 | 87% |
| 1878/79 | 1,500 | 600 | 1,250 | 87% | |
| 1879/80 | 1,000 | 500 | 380 | 500 | 84% |
| 1880/81 | 1,400 | 500 | 500 | 90% |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1863/64AH 1280 | Telgraffirst work | Trikala (Tırhala) | 400first-salary field |
| 1863 to 1865AH 1280 to 1281 | Muhabere Memuru | Trikala (Tırhala) | 400 |
| 1865/66AH 1282 | Muhabere Memuru | Çanakkale | 576 |
| 1866 to 1869AH 1283 to 1285 | 2. Müdür | Gjirokastër (Ergiri) | 800 |
| 1869 to 1871AH 1286 to 1287 | Muhasebe Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 400 to 550 |
| 1871 to 1873AH 1288 to 1289 | 2. Müdür | Rhodes (Rodos) | 950 |
| 1873/74AH 1290 | 2. Müdür | Timurtas | 1,000 |
| 1874 to 1878AH 1291 to 1294 | 1. Müdür | Rhodes (Rodos) | 1,200 |
| 1878AH 1295 | 1. Müdür | Ioannina (Yanya) | 1,500 |
| 1878/79AH 1296 | 1. Müdür | Plovdiv (Filibe) | 1,500 |
| 1879/80AH 1297 | Muhasebe Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 1,000 |
| 1880/81AH 1298 | Hazinei Hassa Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 1,400 |
Record#
Personal
- Born
- 1846/47 (AH 1263)
- Birthplace
- Edirne
- Community
- Jewish (Musevi)
- Nationality as recorded
- Yahudi
- Father's occupation
- Tuccar
Education
- Primary
- Sıbyan Mektebi (4 years)school for young children (primary school)
- Higher or professional
- Telgraf Mektebitelegraph school; recorded as a code
- 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
- French
- Kitabetwriting
- Hebrew
- Kitabetwriting
- Greek (Rum)
- Tekellumspeaking. Rum is the word of the records for Greek as spoken by the Orthodox Christians of the empire. It is kept apart from the column Greek, which the records also have
- Spanish
- Kitabetwriting. Recorded in the column ispanyolca of the cross-ministry workbook
- Turkish
- Kitabetwriting
The glosses are cautious historical readings of the recorded words, not modern levels of proficiency.
First work
- Year
- 1863/64 (AH 1280)
- Place
- Trikala (Tırhala)
- First job as worded
- Telgraf
- Age at first work (workbook field)
- 17
- First salary field (kuruş a month)
- 400
- First-job salary of the original workbook (kuruş a month)
- 400
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 39 officials who held Muhasebe Kalemi in Istanbul in the same years, Nesim Efendi had the 9th highest salary.
- Karabet Efendi3 shared years; highest salary 2,400 kuruş
- Dimitri Aleksandridi Efendi3 shared years; highest salary 1,200 kuruş
- Unnamed official (0007_0147; 291)3 shared years; highest salary 800 kuruş
- Mehmet Nuri Efendi3 shared years; highest salary 400 kuruş
- Mehmet Şevket Efendi2 shared years; highest salary 4,000 kuruş
Same place, same years
Of the 8 officials with entries in Rhodes (Rodos) in the same years, Nesim Efendi had the 2nd highest salary.
- Ali Fehmi Kemali Efendi3 shared years; highest salary 1,200 kuruş
- Ali Rıza Efendi2 shared years; highest salary 800 kuruş
- İbrahim Ali Efendi2 shared years; highest salary 800 kuruş
- Balyan Jozef Efendi1 shared year; highest salary 2,500 kuruş
- Aleksan Hurşit Efendi1 shared year; highest salary 800 kuruş
Same job title, same years
Of the 125 officials with the title 2. Müdür in the same years, Nesim Efendi had the 43rd highest salary.
- Mahmut Fazlı Efendi6 shared years; highest salary 2,500 kuruş
- Mehmet Şevki Efendi6 shared years; highest salary 1,920 kuruş
- Hacı Halil Efendi6 shared years; highest salary 1,750 kuruş
- Mustafa Efendi6 shared years; highest salary 1,440 kuruş
- Hasan Tahsin Efendi6 shared years; highest salary 1,300 kuruş
Same school
Of the 746 officials with Sıbyan Mektebi among their schools, 745 have a recorded salary; Nesim Efendi had the 107th highest salary of them.
- Ahmed Muhtar Efendiborn 1846/47 (AH 1263); highest salary 1,000 kuruş
- Ahmet Faik Efendiborn 1846/47 (AH 1263); highest salary 1,170 kuruş
- Ahmet Hamdi Efendiborn 1846/47 (AH 1263); highest salary 500 kuruş
- Ahmet Şevki Efendiborn 1846/47 (AH 1263); highest salary 600 kuruş
- Ahmet Tevfik Efendiborn 1846/47 (AH 1263); highest salary 500 kuruş
Same birthplace
Of the 66 officials born in Edirne, Nesim Efendi had the 4th highest salary.
- Ahmed Muhtar Efendiborn 1846/47 (AH 1263); highest salary 1,000 kuruş
- Mehmet Emin Efendiborn 1845 (AH 1261); highest salary 250 kuruş
- Dorkani Efendiborn 1848/49 (AH 1265); highest salary 600 kuruş
- Hasan Tahsin Efendiborn 1848/49 (AH 1265); highest salary 600 kuruş
- Vasil Karolidi Efendiborn 1848/49 (AH 1265); highest salary 600 kuruş
First annual entry in the same year
Of the 43 officials whose first annual entry is for 1863/64 (AH 1280), Nesim Efendi had the 14th highest salary.
- Melkok Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 5,000 kuruş
- Mustafa Hamdi Beyfirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 1,050 kuruş
- Hacı Mehmet Mecit Efendifirst entry in Ağrı (Karakilise); highest salary 300 kuruş
- Martir Efendifirst entry in Izmir (İzmir); highest salary 2,500 kuruş
- Mehmed Niyazi Efendifirst entry in Bilecik; highest salary 800 kuruş
Full record
Annual entries (19)
| Year | Title | Place | Kuruş a month | Institution | Source | Archive reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1863/64AH 1280 | Muhabere Memuru | Trikala (Tırhala) | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 42_12; 21 |
| 1864/65AH 1281 | Muhabere Memuru | Trikala (Tırhala) | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 42_12; 21 |
| 1865/66AH 1282 | Muhabere Memuru | Çanakkale | 576 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 42_12; 21 |
| 1866/67AH 1283 | 2. Müdür | Gjirokastër (Ergiri) | 800 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 42_12; 21 |
| 1867/68AH 1284 | 2. Müdür | Gjirokastër (Ergiri) | 800 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 42_12; 21 |
| 1868/69AH 1285 | 2. Müdür | Gjirokastër (Ergiri) | 800 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 42_12; 21 |
| 1869/70AH 1286 | Muhasebe Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 42_12; 21 |
| 1870/71AH 1287 | Muhasebe Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 550 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 42_12; 21 |
| 1871/72AH 1288 | 2. Müdür | Rhodes (Rodos) | 950 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 42_12; 21 |
| 1872/73AH 1289 | 2. Müdür | Rhodes (Rodos) | 950 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 42_12; 21 |
| 1873/74AH 1290 | 2. Müdür | Timurtas | 1,000 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 42_12; 21 |
| 1874/75AH 1291 | 1. Müdür | Rhodes (Rodos) | 1,200 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 42_12; 21 |
| 1875/76AH 1292 | 1. Müdür | Rhodes (Rodos) | 1,200 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 42_12; 21 |
| 1876/77AH 1293 | 1. Müdür | Rhodes (Rodos) | 1,200 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 42_12; 21 |
| 1877/78AH 1294 | 1. Müdür | Rhodes (Rodos) | 1,200 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 42_12; 21 |
| 1878AH 1295 | 1. Müdür | Ioannina (Yanya) | 1,500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 42_12; 21 |
| 1878/79AH 1296 | 1. Müdür | Plovdiv (Filibe) | 1,500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 42_12; 21 |
| 1879/80AH 1297 | Muhasebe Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 1,000 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 42_12; 21 |
| 1880/81AH 1298 | Hazinei Hassa Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 1,400 | Finance (Maliye) | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 42_12; 21 |
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 | Nesim Efendi | Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Linked personnel workbook |
| Birth year (AH) | 1263 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Birthplace | edirne | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Birthplace: district (kaza) | Edirne | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Birthplace: sancak | Edirne | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Birthplace: province (vilayet) | Edirne | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Province of birth | edirne | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Father's occupation | Tuccar | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Religion | Musevi | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Nationality or community | Yahudi | 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 |
| Telegraph school (recorded code) | 1 | 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) | 1280 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Linked personnel workbook |
| First work: Gregorian year as stored | 1863 | Recovered annual personnel extract |
| First work: place | Tirhala | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First work: district (kaza) | Tirhala | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First work: sancak | Tirhala | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First work: province (vilayet) | yanya | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First job as worded | Telgraf | Linked personnel workbook; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Age at first work (workbook field) | 17 | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First salary field (kuruş a month) | 400 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First-job salary of the original workbook (kuruş a month) | 400 | 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.
- 11 annual entries of 19 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
- Nesim Efendi
- Director of the second grade (2. Müdür)
- Rhodes (Rodos)
- Edirne
- School for young children (Sıbyan Mektebi)
- Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf)
- Jewish (Musevi)
- 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)