Official
Viçen Metviş Efendi
Armenian Christian (Ermeni). Born in Istanbul (Dersaadet) in 1861/62 (AH 1278). On record 1883 to 1907, 24 annual entries.
Archive reference 0062_0133; 261
Life#
Born in Istanbul in 1861/62 (AH 1278), Viçen Metviş Efendi came from the Armenian Christian (Ermeni) community. Viçen Metviş had four years of schooling, at a community school (Millet Mektebi), and wrote French, Italian and Turkish.
Work began in Istanbul in 1880/81, at about 19, with three unpaid years as a mülazım (apprentice) before a first salary of 150 kuruş. The annual lists begin in 1883/84, with Viçen Metviş as a communications official (Muhabere Memuru) in Beyoğlu. Viçen Metviş then moved to Enez in 1884/85, then Svilengrad (Cisr-i Mustafapaşa) from 1885 to 1890. The annual lists then follow Viçen Metviş to Heybeliada in 1890/91, then Galata from 1891 to 1901, with a rise to central office official (Merkez Memuru) in 1894/95. The last posts were in Istanbul, the birthplace, from 1901 to 1907, with a rise to a post in the sorting room (Tefrik Odası).
The salary went from 150 kuruş a month in 1883/84 to 900 in 1905/06, the peak, in the Tefrik Odası in Istanbul, when 83 per cent of paid officials earned less. Over 24 years the salaries add up to 176,256 kuruş, 1.2 times what an official on the median salary earned. The last annual entry is for 1906/07.
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 1880/81 (AH 1298)
Svilengrad (Cisr-i Mustafapaşa)
1885 to 1890 (AH 1303 to 1307)
Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti
500 kuruş a month; entries in 5 years
1891 to 1901 (AH 1309 to 1318)
Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti 1891 to 1894 (AH 1309 to 1311); Merkez Memuru 1894 to 1901 (AH 1312 to 1318)
500 to 750 kuruş a month; entries in 10 years
1901 to 1907 (AH 1319 to 1324)
800 to 900 kuruş a month; entries in 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1883/84 | 150 | 500 | 400 | 2% |
| 1884/85 | 500 | 500 | 500 | 42% |
| 1885/86 | 500 | 500 | 500 | 42% |
| 1886/87 | 500 | 500 | 500 | 42% |
| 1887/88 | 500 | 500 | 500 | 41% |
| 1888/89 | 500 | 500 | 500 | 41% |
| 1889/90 | 500 | 500 | 500 | 42% |
| 1890/91 | 500 | 500 | 500 | 43% |
| 1891/92 | 500 | 500 | 500 | 43% |
| 1892/93 | 500 | 500 | 500 | 44% |
| 1893/94 | 500 | 500 | 500 | 46% |
| 1894/95 | 600 | 500 | 600 | 60% |
| 1895/96 | 640 | 500 | 600 | 71% |
| 1896/97 | 576 | 500 | 540 | 72% |
| 1897/98 | 576 | 500 | 540 | 71% |
| 1898/99 | 646 | 500 | 520 | 76% |
| 1899/1900 | 750 | 500 | 540 | 81% |
| 1900/01 | 750 | 500 | 520 | 79% |
| 1901/02 | 800 | 500 | 400 | 81% |
| 1902/03 | 800 | 500 | 420 | 81% |
| 1903/04 | 800 | 475 | 450 | 80% |
| 1904/05 | 800 | 450 | 400 | 80% |
| 1905/06 | 900 | 475 | 400 | 83% |
| 1906/07 | 900 | 450 | 250 | 82% |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1880/81AH 1298 | First work | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 150first-salary field |
| 1883/84AH 1301 | Muhabere Memuru | Beyoğlu | 150 |
| 1884/85AH 1302 | Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti | Enez (İnoz) | 500 |
| 1885 to 1890AH 1303 to 1307 | Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti | Svilengrad (Cisr-i Mustafapaşa) | 500 |
| 1890/91AH 1308 | Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti | Heybeliada | 500 |
| 1891 to 1894AH 1309 to 1311 | Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti | Galata | 500 |
| 1894 to 1901AH 1312 to 1318 | Merkez Memuru | Galata | 600 to 750 |
| 1901 to 1907AH 1319 to 1324 | Tefrik Odası | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 800 to 900 |
Record#
Personal
- Born
- 1861/62 (AH 1278)
- Birthplace
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- Community
- Armenian Christian (Ermeni)
- Nationality as recorded
- Ermeni
Education
- Community school
- Millet Mektebi (4 years)community school (school of a non-Muslim community)
- Unpaid years (mülazemet)
- 3 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
- Italian
- Kitabetwriting
- Turkish
- Kitabetwriting
The glosses are cautious historical readings of the recorded words, not modern levels of proficiency.
First work
- Year
- 1880/81 (AH 1298)
- Place
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- First salary field (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 91 officials with entries in Galata in the same years, Viçen Metviş Efendi had the 18th highest salary.
- Ahmet Faiz Efend10 shared years; highest salary 5,400 kuruş
- Ahmet Avni Efendi10 shared years; highest salary 5,000 kuruş
- Mustafa İhsan Efendi10 shared years; highest salary 5,000 kuruş
- İstapan Parunaki Efendi10 shared years; highest salary 1,550 kuruş
- Dikran Arakilyan Efendi10 shared years; highest salary 1,300 kuruş
Same job title, same years
Of the 213 officials with the title Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti in the same years, Viçen Metviş Efendi had the 62nd highest salary.
- Israti Efendi10 shared years; highest salary 1,500 kuruş
- Melkon Berhadar Efendi10 shared years; highest salary 1,500 kuruş
- Unnamed official (0049_0040; 77)10 shared years; highest salary 1,350 kuruş
- Mehmet Rıfat Efendi10 shared years; highest salary 1,250 kuruş
- Unnamed official (0067_0243; sayfa no:483.)10 shared years; highest salary 1,250 kuruş
All 605 officials with the title Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti
Same school
Of the 263 officials with Millet Mektebi among their schools, Viçen Metviş Efendi had the 25th highest salary.
- Arnest Lapir Efendiborn 1861/62 (AH 1278); highest salary 500 kuruş
- Karakin Yaver Efendiborn 1861/62 (AH 1278); highest salary 650 kuruş
- Kostantin Efendiborn 1861/62 (AH 1278); highest salary 500 kuruş
- Mihran Efendiborn 1861/62 (AH 1278); highest salary 400 kuruş
- Ropen Efendiborn 1861/62 (AH 1278); highest salary 500 kuruş
Same birthplace
Of the 1,999 officials born in Istanbul, 1,997 have a recorded salary; Viçen Metviş Efendi had the 457th 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 80 officials whose first annual entry is for 1883/84 (AH 1301), Viçen Metviş Efendi had the 11th highest salary.
- Dikran Ansoryan Efendifirst entry in Beyoğlu; highest salary 700 kuruş
- Ahmet Nurettin Efendifirst entry in Beyoğlu; highest salary 1,300 kuruş
- Hamit Efendifirst entry in Beyoğlu; highest salary 950 kuruş
- Erdetsi Ohanyan Efendifirst entry in Beyoğlu; highest salary 600 kuruş
- Hüseyin Fehmi Efendifirst entry in Beyoğlu; highest salary 750 kuruş
Full record
Annual entries (24)
| Year | Title | Place | Kuruş a month | Institution | Source | Archive reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1883/84AH 1301 | Muhabere Memuru | Beyoğlu | 150 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0133; 261 |
| 1884/85AH 1302 | Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti | Enez (İnoz) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0133; 261 |
| 1885/86AH 1303 | Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti | Svilengrad (Cisr-i Mustafapaşa) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0133; 261 |
| 1886/87AH 1304 | Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti | Svilengrad (Cisr-i Mustafapaşa) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0133; 261 |
| 1887/88AH 1305 | Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti | Svilengrad (Cisr-i Mustafapaşa) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0133; 261 |
| 1888/89AH 1306 | Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti | Svilengrad (Cisr-i Mustafapaşa) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0133; 261 |
| 1889/90AH 1307 | Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti | Svilengrad (Cisr-i Mustafapaşa) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0133; 261 |
| 1890/91AH 1308 | Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti | Heybeliada | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0133; 261 |
| 1891/92AH 1309 | Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti | Galata | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0133; 261 |
| 1892/93AH 1310 | Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti | Galata | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0133; 261 |
| 1893/94AH 1311 | Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti | Galata | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0133; 261 |
| 1894/95AH 1312 | Merkez Memuru | Galata | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0133; 261 |
| 1895/96AH 1313 | Merkez Memuru | Galata | 640 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0133; 261 |
| 1896/97AH 1314 | Merkez Memuru | Galata | 576 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0133; 261 |
| 1897/98AH 1315 | Merkez Memuru | Galata | 576 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0133; 261 |
| 1898/99AH 1316 | Merkez Memuru | Galata | 646 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0133; 261 |
| 1899/1900AH 1317 | Merkez Memuru | Galata | 750 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0133; 261 |
| 1900/01AH 1318 | Merkez Memuru | Galata | 750 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0133; 261 |
| 1901/02AH 1319 | Tefrik Odası | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 800 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0133; 261 |
| 1902/03AH 1320 | Tefrik Odası | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 800 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0133; 261 |
| 1903/04AH 1321 | Tefrik Odası | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 800 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0133; 261 |
| 1904/05AH 1322 | Tefrik Odası | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 800 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0133; 261 |
| 1905/06AH 1323 | Tefrik Odası | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 900 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0133; 261 |
| 1906/07AH 1324 | Tefrik Odası | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 900 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0133; 261 |
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)
| Field | Recorded value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | ||
| Name | Viçen Metviş Efendi | Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Birth year (AH) | 1278 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Birthplace | dersaadet | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| 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 |
| Nationality or community | Ermeni | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Schooling | ||
| School | Millet Mektebi | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Years of schooling | 4 | 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) | 1298 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First work: Gregorian year as stored | 1881 | Recovered annual personnel extract |
| First work: place | istanbul | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First salary field (kuruş a month) | 150 | Recovered 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.
- 23 annual entries of 24 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
- Viçen Metviş Efendi
- Post of official for foreign communications (Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti)
- Galata
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- Community school (Millet Mektebi)
- Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf)
- Armenian Christian (Ermeni)
- 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)