Official
Mehmet Besir Efendi
Muslim (Müslüman). Born in Beirut (Beyrut) in 1873/74 (AH 1290). On record 1892 to 1910, 18 annual entries.
Archive reference 43_107; 211
Life#
Mehmet Besir Efendi was born in Beirut (Beyrut) in 1873/74 (AH 1290) into the Muslim (Müslüman) community. Schooling took seven years, at a middle school (Rüşdiye Mektebi).
Mehmet Besir began work in the Rusumat Kalemi in Beirut in 1889/90, at about 16, with three unpaid years as a mülazım (apprentice) before a first salary of 200 kuruş. Every annual entry from 1892/93 to 1909/10 places Mehmet Besir in Beirut, the birthplace, first as a registry clerk (Mukayyit), from 1896/97 as Rusumat Muhasebe Memuru.
The salary went from 200 kuruş a month in 1892/93 to 750 in 1907/08, the peak, as Rusumat Muhasebe Memuru in Beirut, when 78 per cent of paid officials earned less. The final annual entry is for 1909/10.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1892/93 | 200 | 500 | 300 | 9% |
| 1893/94 | 200 | 500 | 300 | 9% |
| 1894/95 | 200 | 500 | 300 | 9% |
| 1895/96 | 200 | 500 | 300 | 9% |
| 1896/97 | 400 | 500 | 32% | |
| 1897/98 | 400 | 500 | 32% | |
| 1898/99 | 400 | 500 | 31% | |
| 1899/1900 | 400 | 500 | 31% | |
| 1900/01 | 400 | 500 | 31% | |
| 1901/02 | 400 | 500 | 32% | |
| 1902/03 | 450 | 500 | 46% | |
| 1903/04 | 450 | 475 | 47% | |
| 1904/05 | 600 | 450 | 67% | |
| 1905/06 | 600 | 475 | 67% | |
| 1906/07 | 600 | 450 | 65% | |
| 1907/08 | 750 | 300 | 78% | |
| 1908/09 | 750 | 350 | 73% | |
| 1909/10 | 750 | 462.5 | 65% |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1889/90AH 1307 | Rusumat Kalemifirst work | Beirut (Beyrut) | 200first-salary field |
| 1892 to 1896AH 1310 to 1313 | Mukayyit | Beirut (Beyrut) | 200 |
| 1896 to 1910AH 1314 to 1327 | Rusumat Muhasebe Memuru | Beirut (Beyrut) | 400 to 750 |
Record#
Personal
- Born
- 1873/74 (AH 1290)
- Birthplace
- Beirut (Beyrut)
- Community
- Muslim (Müslüman)
- Nationality as recorded
- Turkish
Education
- Rüşdiye
- Rüşdiye Mektebi (7 years)rüşdiye school (middle school); place of the school as worded: Beyrut
- Unpaid years (mülazemet)
- 3 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
- 1889/90 (AH 1307)
- Place
- Beirut (Beyrut)
- First job as worded
- Rusumat Kalemi
- Age at first work (workbook field)
- 17
- 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 place, same years
Of the 185 officials with entries in Beirut (Beyrut) in the same years, Mehmet Besir Efendi had the 61st highest salary.
- Mustafa Esir Efendi17 shared years; highest salary 1,600 kuruş
- Kayser Minir Efendi14 shared years; highest salary 800 kuruş
- Habip Efendi13 shared years; highest salary 950 kuruş
- Halil Fazıl Efendi12 shared years; highest salary 450 kuruş
- Kaysar Efendi11 shared years; highest salary 800 kuruş
Same job title, same years
Of the 4 officials with the title Rusumat Muhasebe Memuru in the same years, Mehmet Besir Efendi had the 3rd highest salary.
- Haci Cemal Bey13 shared years; highest salary 1,030 kuruş
- Ali Bey12 shared years; highest salary 2,400 kuruş
- Mehmet Aziz Efendi11 shared years; highest salary 700 kuruş
Same school
Of the 3,206 officials with Rüşdiye Mektebi among their schools, 3,200 have a recorded salary; Mehmet Besir Efendi had the 634th highest salary of them.
- Abbas Rüştü Efendiborn 1873/74 (AH 1290); highest salary 1,500 kuruş
- Abdülaziz Efendiborn 1873/74 (AH 1290); highest salary 750 kuruş
- Abdülbaki Efendiborn 1873/74 (AH 1290); highest salary 400 kuruş
- Abdülkerim Efendiborn 1873/74 (AH 1290); highest salary 675 kuruş
- Abdullah Efendiborn 1873/74 (AH 1290); highest salary 720 kuruş
Same birthplace
Of the 51 officials born in Beirut (Beyrut), Mehmet Besir Efendi had the 15th highest salary.
- Mehmet Haşim Efendiborn 1873/74 (AH 1290); highest salary 380 kuruş
- Salih Sezai Efendiborn 1873/74 (AH 1290); highest salary 500 kuruş
- Mehmet Raşit Efendiborn 1872/73 (AH 1289); highest salary 450 kuruş
- Abdülgani Efendiborn 1874/75 (AH 1291); highest salary 200 kuruş
- Vedi Efendiborn 1874/75 (AH 1291); highest salary 900 kuruş
The page of Beirut (Beyrut), with the 51 officials born there
First annual entry in the same year
Of the 189 officials whose first annual entry is for 1892/93 (AH 1310), Mehmet Besir Efendi had the 32nd highest salary.
- Abdülgani Efendifirst entry in Beirut (Beyrut); highest salary 200 kuruş
- İlya İlyaho Efendifirst entry in Beirut (Beyrut); highest salary 300 kuruş
- Vedi Efendifirst entry in Beirut (Beyrut); highest salary 900 kuruş
- Antuan Efendifirst entry in Beirut (Beyrut); highest salary 400 kuruş
- Mişel Melahme Efendifirst entry in Beirut (Beyrut); highest salary 900 kuruş
Full record
Annual entries (18)
| Year | Title | Place | Kuruş a month | Institution | Source | Archive reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1892/93AH 1310 | Mukayyit | Beirut (Beyrut) | 200 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 43_107; 211 |
| 1893/94AH 1311 | Mukayyit | Beirut (Beyrut) | 200 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 43_107; 211 |
| 1894/95AH 1312 | Mukayyit | Beirut (Beyrut) | 200 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 43_107; 211 |
| 1895/96AH 1313 | Mukayyit | Beirut (Beyrut) | 200 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 43_107; 211 |
| 1896/97AH 1314 | Rusumat Muhasebe Memuru | Beirut (Beyrut) | 400 | Customs (Gümrük) | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 43_107; 211 |
| 1897/98AH 1315 | Rusumat Muhasebe Memuru | Beirut (Beyrut) | 400 | Customs (Gümrük) | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 43_107; 211 |
| 1898/99AH 1316 | Rusumat Muhasebe Memuru | Beirut (Beyrut) | 400 | Customs (Gümrük) | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 43_107; 211 |
| 1899/1900AH 1317 | Rusumat Muhasebe Memuru | Beirut (Beyrut) | 400 | Customs (Gümrük) | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 43_107; 211 |
| 1900/01AH 1318 | Rusumat Muhasebe Memuru | Beirut (Beyrut) | 400 | Customs (Gümrük) | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 43_107; 211 |
| 1901/02AH 1319 | Rusumat Muhasebe Memuru | Beirut (Beyrut) | 400 | Customs (Gümrük) | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 43_107; 211 |
| 1902/03AH 1320 | Rusumat Muhasebe Memuru | Beirut (Beyrut) | 450 | Customs (Gümrük) | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 43_107; 211 |
| 1903/04AH 1321 | Rusumat Muhasebe Memuru | Beirut (Beyrut) | 450 | Customs (Gümrük) | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 43_107; 211 |
| 1904/05AH 1322 | Rusumat Muhasebe Memuru | Beirut (Beyrut) | 600 | Customs (Gümrük) | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 43_107; 211 |
| 1905/06AH 1323 | Rusumat Muhasebe Memuru | Beirut (Beyrut) | 600 | Customs (Gümrük) | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 43_107; 211 |
| 1906/07AH 1324 | Rusumat Muhasebe Memuru | Beirut (Beyrut) | 600 | Customs (Gümrük) | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 43_107; 211 |
| 1907/08AH 1325 | Rusumat Muhasebe Memuru | Beirut (Beyrut) | 750 | Customs (Gümrük) | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 43_107; 211 |
| 1908/09AH 1326 | Rusumat Muhasebe Memuru | Beirut (Beyrut) | 750 | Customs (Gümrük) | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 43_107; 211 |
| 1909/10AH 1327 | Rusumat Muhasebe Memuru | Beirut (Beyrut) | 750 | Customs (Gümrük) | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 43_107; 211 |
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 | Mehmet Besir Efendi | Linked personnel workbook |
| Birth year (AH) | 1290 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Birthplace | beyrut | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Birthplace: district (kaza) | Beyrut | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Birthplace: sancak | Beyrut | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Birthplace: province (vilayet) | Beyrut | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Province of birth | beyrut | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| 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 |
| Place of the school | Beyrut | 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) | 3 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First work | ||
| First work: year (AH) | 1307 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Linked personnel workbook |
| First work: Gregorian year as stored | 1890 | Recovered annual personnel extract |
| First work: place | beyrut | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First work: district (kaza) | beyrut | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First work: sancak | beyrut | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First work: province (vilayet) | beyrut | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First job as worded | Rusumat Kalemi | Linked personnel workbook; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Age at first work (workbook field) | 17 | 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.
- 4 annual entries of 18 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 Besir Efendi
- Rusumat Muhasebe Memuru
- Beirut (Beyrut)
- Rüşdiye school (Rüşdiye Mektebi)
- Customs (Gümrük)
- Muslim (Müslüman)
- Registry clerk (Mukayyit)
- 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)