Official
Mustafa Lütfi Efendi
Muslim (Müslüman). Born in Kemaliye (Eğin) in 1866/67 (AH 1283). On record 1888 to 1904, 16 annual entries.
Archive reference 70_28; 53
Life#
Born in Kemaliye (Eğin) in 1866/67 (AH 1283), Mustafa Lütfi Efendi came from the Muslim (Müslüman) community; the father was a farmer (çiftçi). Schooling took seven years, at a middle school (Rüşdiye Mektebi).
At about 22, in 1888/89, Mustafa Lütfi began work in the postal service (Posta) in Istanbul, paid from the start, on 200 kuruş a month. The annual lists begin in 1888/89, with Mustafa Lütfi as an official for outgoing items (Mersule Memuru) in Istanbul. Next came a post with no place named from 1889 to 1894, with a rise to soldier (Asker). From 1894 to 1904 the annual entries place Mustafa Lütfi again in Istanbul.
Pay rose from 200 kuruş a month in 1888/89 to a peak of 500 in 1893/94, as Asker, when 46 per cent of paid officials earned less. The peak lasted a single year; the next list gives 40 kuruş. Over 13 years the salaries add up to 36,600 kuruş, 47 per cent of what an official on the median salary earned. The final annual entry is for 1903/04.
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 3 (Place not recorded).
Born 1866/67 (AH 1283)
First work 1888/89 (AH 1306); 1888/89 (AH 1306)
First work as Posta
200 kuruş a month; entries in 1 year
Place not recorded not on the map
1889 to 1894 (AH 1307 to 1311)
380 to 500 kuruş a month; entries in 5 years
1894 to 1904 (AH 1312 to 1321)
40 to 350 kuruş a month; entries in 10 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1888/89 | 200 | 500 | 400 | 500 | 5% |
| 1889/90 | 380 | 500 | 21% | ||
| 1893/94 | 500 | 500 | 46% | ||
| 1894/95 | 40 | 500 | 245 | 450 | 0% |
| 1895/96 | 60 | 500 | 245 | 440 | 1% |
| 1896/97 | 100 | 500 | 300 | 425 | 2% |
| 1897/98 | 100 | 500 | 220 | 425 | 2% |
| 1898/99 | 120 | 500 | 300 | 440 | 4% |
| 1899/1900 | 300 | 500 | 375 | 450 | 18% |
| 1900/01 | 300 | 500 | 400 | 450 | 18% |
| 1901/02 | 300 | 500 | 400 | 440 | 20% |
| 1902/03 | 300 | 500 | 400 | 450 | 21% |
| 1903/04 | 350 | 475 | 400 | 450 | 32% |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1888/89AH 1306 | Postafirst work | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 200first-salary field |
| 1888/89AH 1306 | Mersule Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 200 |
| 1889 to 1894AH 1307 to 1311 | Asker | 380 to 500 | |
| 1894 to 1904AH 1312 to 1321 | Pul Kitabeti | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 40 to 350 |
Record#
Personal
- Born
- 1866/67 (AH 1283)
- Birthplace
- Kemaliye (Eğin)
- Community
- Muslim (Müslüman)
- Nationality as recorded
- Turkish
- Father's occupation
- ciftci
Education
- Rüşdiye
- Rüşdiye Mektebi (7 years)rüşdiye school (middle school)
- 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
- 1888/89 (AH 1306)
- Place
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- First job as worded
- Posta
- Age at first work (workbook field)
- 23
- First salary field (kuruş a month)
- 200
- First-job salary of the original workbook (kuruş a month)
- 200
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 19 officials who held Pul Kitabeti in Istanbul in the same years, Mustafa Lütfi Efendi had the 9th highest salary.
- Rıfat Efendi10 shared years; highest salary 500 kuruş
- Ali Nuri Efendi10 shared years; highest salary 440 kuruş
- Şakir Efendi10 shared years; highest salary 400 kuruş
- Mehmet Emin Efendi9 shared years; highest salary 550 kuruş
- Hamdi Efendi6 shared years; highest salary 150 kuruş
Same place, same years
Of the 1,100 officials with entries in Istanbul in the same years, Mustafa Lütfi Efendi had the 618th highest salary.
- Salahattin Bey11 shared years; highest salary 7,800 kuruş
- Suleyman Resat Bey11 shared years; highest salary 7,000 kuruş
- Mehmet Hayri Bey11 shared years; highest salary 5,500 kuruş
- Melkok Efendi11 shared years; highest salary 5,000 kuruş
- Dikran Efendi11 shared years; highest salary 4,500 kuruş
Same job title, same years
Of the 41 officials with the title Pul Kitabeti in the same years, Mustafa Lütfi Efendi had the 19th highest salary.
- Rıfat Efendi10 shared years; highest salary 500 kuruş
- Ali Nuri Efendi10 shared years; highest salary 440 kuruş
- Şakir Efendi10 shared years; highest salary 400 kuruş
- Yasef Efendi9 shared years; highest salary 800 kuruş
- Ali Rıza Efendi9 shared years; highest salary 550 kuruş
Same school
Of the 3,206 officials with Rüşdiye Mektebi among their schools, 3,200 have a recorded salary; Mustafa Lütfi Efendi had the 1,253rd highest salary of them.
- Abbas Efendiborn 1866/67 (AH 1283); highest salary 500 kuruş
- Abdülmuttalip Muhlis Efendiborn 1866/67 (AH 1283); highest salary 700 kuruş
- Abdurrahman Sezai Efendiborn 1866/67 (AH 1283); highest salary 1,000 kuruş
- Ahmet Asaf Efendiborn 1866/67 (AH 1283); highest salary 500 kuruş
- Ahmet Kazım Efendiborn 1866/67 (AH 1283); highest salary 500 kuruş
Same birthplace
Of the 64 officials born in Kemaliye (Eğin), Mustafa Lütfi Efendi had the 33rd highest salary.
- Mehmet Avni Efendiborn 1866/67 (AH 1283); highest salary 200 kuruş
- Hüseyin Hüsnü Efendiborn 1867/68 (AH 1284); highest salary 400 kuruş
- Ahmet Rıfat Efendiborn 1868/69 (AH 1285); highest salary 600 kuruş
- Ahmet Tevfik Beyborn 1868/69 (AH 1285); highest salary 750 kuruş
- Ali Rıza Efendiborn 1863/64 (AH 1280); highest salary 475 kuruş
The page of Kemaliye (Eğin), with the 64 officials born there
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; Mustafa Lütfi Efendi had the 69th highest salary of them.
- Mehmet Ali Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 700 kuruş
- Hasan Muhlis Beyfirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 60 kuruş
- Mehmet Dürri Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 75 kuruş
- Mehmet Nuri Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 300 kuruş
- Ahmet Sami Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 800 kuruş
All 114 officials whose first annual entry is for 1888/89 (AH 1306)
Full record
Annual entries (16)
| Year | Title | Place | Kuruş a month | Institution | Source | Archive reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1888/89AH 1306 | Mersule Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 200 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 70_28; 53 |
| 1889/90AH 1307 | Asker | 380 | Military (Askeriye) | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 70_28; 53 | |
| 1890/91AH 1308 | Asker | Military (Askeriye) | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 70_28; 53 | ||
| 1891/92AH 1309 | Asker | Military (Askeriye) | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 70_28; 53 | ||
| 1892/93AH 1310 | Asker | Military (Askeriye) | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 70_28; 53 | ||
| 1893/94AH 1311 | Asker | 500 | Military (Askeriye) | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 70_28; 53 | |
| 1894/95AH 1312 | Pul Kitabeti | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 40 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 70_28; 53 |
| 1895/96AH 1313 | Pul Kitabeti | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 60 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 70_28; 53 |
| 1896/97AH 1314 | Pul Kitabeti | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 100 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 70_28; 53 |
| 1897/98AH 1315 | Pul Kitabeti | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 100 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 70_28; 53 |
| 1898/99AH 1316 | Pul Kitabeti | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 120 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 70_28; 53 |
| 1899/1900AH 1317 | Pul Kitabeti | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 300 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 70_28; 53 |
| 1900/01AH 1318 | Pul Kitabeti | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 300 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 70_28; 53 |
| 1901/02AH 1319 | Pul Kitabeti | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 300 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 70_28; 53 |
| 1902/03AH 1320 | Pul Kitabeti | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 300 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 70_28; 53 |
| 1903/04AH 1321 | Pul Kitabeti | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 350 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 70_28; 53 |
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 | Mustafa Lütfi Efendi | Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Linked personnel workbook |
| Birth year (AH) | 1283 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Birthplace | egin | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Birthplace: district (kaza) | Egin | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Birthplace: sancak | Elazig | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Birthplace: province (vilayet) | Elazig | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Province of birth | elazig | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Father's occupation | ciftci | 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 |
| 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) | 1306 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Linked personnel workbook |
| First work: Gregorian year as stored | 1889 | 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 | Posta | Linked personnel workbook; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Age at first work (workbook field) | 23 | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First salary field (kuruş a month) | 200 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First-job salary of the original workbook (kuruş a month) | 200 | 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 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
- Mustafa Lütfi Efendi
- Stamp clerkship (Pul Kitabeti)
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- Kemaliye (Eğin)
- 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)