Official
Rıfat Efendi
Muslim (Müslüman). Born in Istanbul (Dersaadet) in 1879/80 (AH 1297). On record 1892 to 1904, 12 annual entries.
Archive reference 70_25; 47
Life#
Born in Istanbul in 1879/80 (AH 1297), Rıfat Efendi came from the Muslim (Müslüman) community. Schooling took seven years, at a middle school (Rüşdiye Mektebi); Rıfat also wrote French as well as Turkish.
Rıfat began work in Biga in 1886/87, at about 7, with six unpaid years as a mülazım (apprentice) before a first salary of 250 kuruş. Of the 5,128 officials whose age at first work is known, 4 started at 7 or younger. The annual lists begin in 1892/93, with Rıfat as a communications official (Muhabere Memuru) in Biga, where the entries run to 1897/98. Rıfat then moved to Karamürsel, Kozak and Afyonkarahisar (Karahisar-ı Sahib) from 1898 to 1903, with a rise to director of the second grade (2. Müdür) in 1902/03. The last post was in Izmir (İzmir) in 1903/04, with a rise to official for outgoing items (Mersule Memuru).
Pay rose from 250 kuruş a month in 1892/93 to a peak of 750 in 1903/04, as Mersule Memuru in Izmir, when four in five paid officials earned less. The last 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.
Born 1879/80 (AH 1297)
First work 1886/87 (AH 1304); 1892 to 1898 (AH 1310 to 1315)
250 to 400 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1892/93 | 250 | 500 | 400 | 13% |
| 1893/94 | 400 | 500 | 400 | 30% |
| 1894/95 | 400 | 500 | 400 | 30% |
| 1895/96 | 400 | 500 | 400 | 30% |
| 1896/97 | 400 | 500 | 400 | 32% |
| 1897/98 | 400 | 500 | 400 | 32% |
| 1898/99 | 400 | 500 | 400 | 31% |
| 1899/1900 | 500 | 500 | 540 | 47% |
| 1900/01 | 500 | 500 | 540 | 47% |
| 1901/02 | 500 | 500 | 540 | 49% |
| 1902/03 | 720 | 500 | 800 | 77% |
| 1903/04 | 750 | 475 | 300 | 79% |
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 | Biga | 250first-salary field |
| 1892 to 1898AH 1310 to 1315 | Muhabere Memuru | Biga | 250 to 400 |
| 1898/99AH 1316 | Muhabere Memuru | Karamürsel | 400 |
| 1899 to 1902AH 1317 to 1319 | 3. Müdür | Kozak | 500 |
| 1902/03AH 1320 | 2. Müdür | Afyonkarahisar (Karahisar-ı Sahib) | 720 |
| 1903/04AH 1321 | Mersule Memuru | Izmir (İzmir) | 750 |
Record#
Personal
- Born
- 1879/80 (AH 1297)
- Birthplace
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- Community
- Muslim (Müslüman)
- Nationality as recorded
- Turkish
Education
- Rüşdiye
- Rüşdiye Mektebi (7 years)rüşdiye school (middle school)
- Unpaid years (mülazemet)
- 6 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
- French
- Kitabetwriting
- Turkish
- Kitabetwriting
The glosses are cautious historical readings of the recorded words, not modern levels of proficiency.
First work
- Year
- 1886/87 (AH 1304)
- Place
- Biga
- First salary field (kuruş a month)
- 250
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 6 officials with entries in Biga in the same years, Rıfat Efendi had the 3rd highest salary.
- Muharrem Bey6 shared years; highest salary 2,500 kuruş
- Aziz Mahmud Efendi3 shared years; highest salary 750 kuruş
- Haci İsmail Hakki Efendi2 shared years; highest salary 500 kuruş
- Ömer Lütfi Efendi1 shared year; highest salary 3,000 kuruş
- Mehmet Agah Efendi1 shared year; highest salary 750 kuruş
Same job title, same years
Of the 1,412 officials with the title Muhabere Memuru in the same years, Rıfat Efendi had the 278th highest salary.
- Mehmet Arif Efendi7 shared years; highest salary 3,600 kuruş
- Mehmet Hulusi Bey7 shared years; highest salary 2,600 kuruş
- Ali Galip Efendi7 shared years; highest salary 2,500 kuruş
- Mustafa Fazıl Bey7 shared years; highest salary 1,700 kuruş
- Mehmet Sadullah Efendi7 shared years; highest salary 1,650 kuruş
Same school
Of the 3,206 officials with Rüşdiye Mektebi among their schools, 3,200 have a recorded salary; Rıfat Efendi had the 634th highest salary of them.
- Abbas Hilmi Efendiborn 1879/80 (AH 1297); highest salary 450 kuruş
- Abdullah Agah Efendiborn 1879/80 (AH 1297); highest salary 500 kuruş
- Abdülmecid Efendiborn 1879/80 (AH 1297); highest salary 690 kuruş
- Abdülmecit Efendiborn 1879/80 (AH 1297); highest salary 220 kuruş
- Ahmet Burhanettin Efendiborn 1879/80 (AH 1297); highest salary 400 kuruş
Same birthplace
Of the 1,999 officials born in Istanbul, 1,997 have a recorded salary; Rıfat Efendi had the 625th highest salary of them.
- Ahmet Muhtar Efendiborn 1879/80 (AH 1297); highest salary 250 kuruş
- Ahmet Rüşdi Efendiborn 1879/80 (AH 1297); highest salary 1,000 kuruş
- Ahmet Sırrı Efendiborn 1879/80 (AH 1297); highest salary 380 kuruş
- ALİ HİKMET EFENDİborn 1879/80 (AH 1297); highest salary 700 kuruş
- ALİ NUSRET EFENDİborn 1879/80 (AH 1297); highest salary 250 kuruş
First annual entry in the same year
Of the 189 officials whose first annual entry is for 1892/93 (AH 1310), Rıfat Efendi had the 32nd highest salary.
- Mustafa Bayezid Efendifirst entry in Kahramanmaraş (Maraş); highest salary 400 kuruş
- Mehmet Efendifirst entry in Denizli; highest salary 400 kuruş
- Abdurrezzak Efendifirst entry in Basra; highest salary 600 kuruş
- Mehmet Lütfi Efendifirst entry in Margilic; highest salary 300 kuruş
- Ali Ferit Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 170 kuruş
Full record
Annual entries (12)
| Year | Title | Place | Kuruş a month | Institution | Source | Archive reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1892/93AH 1310 | Muhabere Memuru | Biga | 250 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 70_25; 47 |
| 1893/94AH 1311 | Muhabere Memuru | Biga | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 70_25; 47 |
| 1894/95AH 1312 | Muhabere Memuru | Biga | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 70_25; 47 |
| 1895/96AH 1313 | Muhabere Memuru | Biga | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 70_25; 47 |
| 1896/97AH 1314 | Muhabere Memuru | Biga | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 70_25; 47 |
| 1897/98AH 1315 | Muhabere Memuru | Biga | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 70_25; 47 |
| 1898/99AH 1316 | Muhabere Memuru | Karamürsel | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 70_25; 47 |
| 1899/1900AH 1317 | 3. Müdür | Kozak | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 70_25; 47 |
| 1900/01AH 1318 | 3. Müdür | Kozak | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 70_25; 47 |
| 1901/02AH 1319 | 3. Müdür | Kozak | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 70_25; 47 |
| 1902/03AH 1320 | 2. Müdür | Afyonkarahisar (Karahisar-ı Sahib) | 720 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 70_25; 47 |
| 1903/04AH 1321 | Mersule Memuru | Izmir (İzmir) | 750 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 70_25; 47 |
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 | Rıfat Efendi | Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Birth year (AH) | 1297 | 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 | 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) | 6 | 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 | Biga | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First salary field (kuruş a month) | 250 | 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.
- 12 annual entries of 12 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
- Rıfat Efendi
- Communications official (Muhabere Memuru)
- Biga
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- 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)