Official
Mehmet Halit Efendi
Muslim (Müslüman). Born in Istanbul (Dersaadet) in 1845/46 (AH 1262). On record 1868 to 1905, 36 annual entries.
Archive reference 0065_0088; 173
Life#
Born in Istanbul in 1845/46 (AH 1262), Mehmet Halit Efendi came from the Muslim (Müslüman) community. Mehmet Halit had four years of schooling, at a school for young children (Sıbyan Mektebi).
At about 22, in 1868/69, Mehmet Halit began work in Istanbul, with half a year without pay as a mülazım (apprentice) before a first salary of 600 kuruş. The annual lists begin in 1868/69, with Mehmet Halit as a communications official (Muhabere Memuru) in Boyabat. Next came Kastamonu in 1870/71 and Kıyıköy in 1872/73, then Burgas (Burgaz) from 1873 to 1878. From 1879 to 1905 every annual entry places Mehmet Halit in Istanbul, the birthplace. Fewer than 7 per cent of the 775 officials whose entries span 30 years or more kept one title throughout. Entries spanning 38 years are rare, reached by fewer than 5 per cent of the 5,211 officials.
Pay rose from 600 kuruş a month in 1868/69 to a peak of 900 in 1891/92, as Muhabere Memuru in Istanbul, when 85 per cent of paid officials earned less. Over 36 years the salaries add up to 320,160 kuruş, 1.4 times what an official on the median salary earned. The final annual entry is for 1904/05.
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 1845/46 (AH 1262); First work 1868/69 (AH 1285)
1872/73 (AH 1289)
No annual entry for 1871/72 (AH 1288) before it.
570 kuruş a month; entries in 1 year
1873 to 1878 (AH 1290 to 1295)
570 to 600 kuruş a month; entries in 6 years
1879 to 1905 (AH 1297 to 1322)
No annual entry for 1878/79 (AH 1296) before it.
600 to 900 kuruş a month; entries in 26 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1868/69 | 600 | 600 | 480 | 47% |
| 1869/70 | 600 | 600 | 400 | 48% |
| 1870/71 | 600 | 600 | 400 | 49% |
| 1872/73 | 570 | 550 | 400 | 50% |
| 1873/74 | 570 | 500 | 400 | 51% |
| 1874/75 | 570 | 535 | 450 | 51% |
| 1875/76 | 570 | 530 | 400 | 51% |
| 1876/77 | 600 | 582.5 | 410 | 50% |
| 1877/78 | 600 | 560 | 410 | 50% |
| 1878 | 600 | 600 | 500 | 46% |
| 1879/80 | 600 | 500 | 380 | 61% |
| 1880/81 | 640 | 500 | 400 | 70% |
| 1881/82 | 640 | 500 | 400 | 71% |
| 1882/83 | 640 | 500 | 400 | 70% |
| 1883/84 | 640 | 500 | 400 | 69% |
| 1884/85 | 800 | 500 | 400 | 76% |
| 1885/86 | 800 | 500 | 400 | 77% |
| 1886/87 | 800 | 500 | 400 | 77% |
| 1887/88 | 800 | 500 | 400 | 76% |
| 1888/89 | 850 | 500 | 400 | 82% |
| 1889/90 | 850 | 500 | 400 | 83% |
| 1890/91 | 850 | 500 | 400 | 83% |
| 1891/92 | 900 | 500 | 400 | 85% |
| 1892/93 | 900 | 500 | 400 | 85% |
| 1893/94 | 900 | 500 | 400 | 86% |
| 1894/95 | 900 | 500 | 400 | 86% |
| 1895/96 | 900 | 500 | 400 | 85% |
| 1896/97 | 810 | 500 | 400 | 86% |
| 1897/98 | 810 | 500 | 400 | 87% |
| 1898/99 | 810 | 500 | 400 | 86% |
| 1899/1900 | 810 | 500 | 400 | 84% |
| 1900/01 | 810 | 500 | 400 | 84% |
| 1901/02 | 810 | 500 | 400 | 84% |
| 1902/03 | 810 | 500 | 380 | 83% |
| 1903/04 | 860 | 475 | 350 | 84% |
| 1904/05 | 860 | 450 | 350 | 84% |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1868/69AH 1285 | First work | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 600first-salary field |
| 1868 to 1870AH 1285 to 1286 | Muhabere Memuru | Boyabat | 600 |
| 1870/71AH 1287 | Muhabere Memuru | Kastamonu | 600 |
| No annual entry: 1871/72 (AH 1288) | |||
| 1872/73AH 1289 | Muhabere Memuru | Kıyıköy (Midye) | 570 |
| 1873 to 1878AH 1290 to 1295 | Muhabere Memuru | Burgas (Burgaz) | 570 to 600 |
| No annual entry: 1878/79 (AH 1296) | |||
| 1879 to 1905AH 1297 to 1322 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 600 to 860 |
Record#
Personal
- Born
- 1845/46 (AH 1262)
- Birthplace
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- Community
- Muslim (Müslüman)
- Nationality as recorded
- Turkish
Education
- Primary
- Sıbyan Mektebi (4 years)school for young children (primary school)
- Unpaid years (mülazemet)
- 0.5 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
- Turkish
- Kitabetwriting
The glosses are cautious historical readings of the recorded words, not modern levels of proficiency.
First work
- Year
- 1868/69 (AH 1285)
- Place
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- First salary field (kuruş a month)
- 600
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 1,353 officials with entries in Istanbul in the same years, Mehmet Halit Efendi had the 407th highest salary.
- Salahattin Bey26 shared years; highest salary 7,800 kuruş
- Suleyman Resat Bey26 shared years; highest salary 7,000 kuruş
- Mehmet Hayri Bey26 shared years; highest salary 5,500 kuruş
- Melkok Efendi26 shared years; highest salary 5,000 kuruş
- Mehmet Salim Bey26 shared years; highest salary 3,000 kuruş
Same job title, same years
Of the 2,609 officials with the title Muhabere Memuru in the same years, Mehmet Halit Efendi had the 420th highest salary.
- Nikola Yunani Efendi36 shared years; highest salary 1,350 kuruş
- Ahmet Safvet Efendi36 shared years; highest salary 700 kuruş
- Şarl Laze Efendi35 shared years; highest salary 1,250 kuruş
- Unnamed official (23_38; 73)35 shared years; highest salary 800 kuruş
- Mehmet Nazım Efendi33 shared years; highest salary 1,300 kuruş
Same school
Of the 746 officials with Sıbyan Mektebi among their schools, 745 have a recorded salary; Mehmet Halit Efendi had the 252nd highest salary of them.
- Abdurrezzak Efendiborn 1845/46 (AH 1262); highest salary 1,500 kuruş
- Ali Rıza Efendiborn 1845/46 (AH 1262); highest salary 200 kuruş
- Bekir Efendiborn 1845/46 (AH 1262); highest salary 2,700 kuruş
- Cemal Efendiborn 1845/46 (AH 1262); highest salary 1,200 kuruş
- Emrullah Efendiborn 1845/46 (AH 1262); highest salary 10,000 kuruş
Same birthplace
Of the 1,999 officials born in Istanbul, 1,997 have a recorded salary; Mehmet Halit Efendi had the 457th highest salary of them.
- Ahmet Hamdi Efendiborn 1845/46 (AH 1262); highest salary 400 kuruş
- Ahmet Tevfik Beyborn 1845/46 (AH 1262); highest salary 1,750 kuruş
- Ali Refik Beyborn 1845/46 (AH 1262); highest salary 6,000 kuruş
- Ali Rıza Efendiborn 1845/46 (AH 1262); highest salary 200 kuruş
- Haci Sefik Efendiborn 1845/46 (AH 1262); highest salary 2,375 kuruş
First annual entry in the same year
Of the 89 officials whose first annual entry is for 1868/69 (AH 1285), Mehmet Halit Efendi had the 41st highest salary.
- Ahmet Tevfik Beyfirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 1,750 kuruş
- Aziz Efendifirst entry in Zahlé (Zahle); highest salary 600 kuruş
- Bekir Efendifirst entry in Kifri (Salahiye); highest salary 2,700 kuruş
- David Murat Efendifirst entry in Aleppo (Halep); highest salary 1,200 kuruş
- Emrullah Efendifirst entry in Biga; highest salary 10,000 kuruş
Full record
Annual entries (36)
| Year | Title | Place | Kuruş a month | Institution | Source | Archive reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1868/69AH 1285 | Muhabere Memuru | Boyabat | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0088; 173 |
| 1869/70AH 1286 | Muhabere Memuru | Boyabat | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0088; 173 |
| 1870/71AH 1287 | Muhabere Memuru | Kastamonu | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0088; 173 |
| 1872/73AH 1289 | Muhabere Memuru | Kıyıköy (Midye) | 570 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0088; 173 |
| 1873/74AH 1290 | Muhabere Memuru | Burgas (Burgaz) | 570 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0088; 173 |
| 1874/75AH 1291 | Muhabere Memuru | Burgas (Burgaz) | 570 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0088; 173 |
| 1875/76AH 1292 | Muhabere Memuru | Burgas (Burgaz) | 570 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0088; 173 |
| 1876/77AH 1293 | Muhabere Memuru | Burgas (Burgaz) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0088; 173 |
| 1877/78AH 1294 | Muhabere Memuru | Burgas (Burgaz) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0088; 173 |
| 1878AH 1295 | Muhabere Memuru | Burgas (Burgaz) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0088; 173 |
| 1879/80AH 1297 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0088; 173 |
| 1880/81AH 1298 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 640 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0088; 173 |
| 1881/82AH 1299 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 640 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0088; 173 |
| 1882/83AH 1300 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 640 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0088; 173 |
| 1883/84AH 1301 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 640 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0088; 173 |
| 1884/85AH 1302 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 800 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0088; 173 |
| 1885/86AH 1303 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 800 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0088; 173 |
| 1886/87AH 1304 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 800 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0088; 173 |
| 1887/88AH 1305 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 800 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0088; 173 |
| 1888/89AH 1306 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 850 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0088; 173 |
| 1889/90AH 1307 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 850 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0088; 173 |
| 1890/91AH 1308 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 850 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0088; 173 |
| 1891/92AH 1309 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 900 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0088; 173 |
| 1892/93AH 1310 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 900 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0088; 173 |
| 1893/94AH 1311 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 900 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0088; 173 |
| 1894/95AH 1312 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 900 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0088; 173 |
| 1895/96AH 1313 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 900 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0088; 173 |
| 1896/97AH 1314 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 810 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0088; 173 |
| 1897/98AH 1315 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 810 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0088; 173 |
| 1898/99AH 1316 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 810 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0088; 173 |
| 1899/1900AH 1317 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 810 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0088; 173 |
| 1900/01AH 1318 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 810 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0088; 173 |
| 1901/02AH 1319 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 810 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0088; 173 |
| 1902/03AH 1320 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 810 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0088; 173 |
| 1903/04AH 1321 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 860 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0088; 173 |
| 1904/05AH 1322 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 860 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0088; 173 |
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 | Mehmet Halit Efendi | Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Birth year (AH) | 1262 | 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 | Sibyan 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) | 0.5 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First work | ||
| First work: year (AH) | 1285 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First work: Gregorian year as stored | 1868 | 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) | 600 | 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.
- 34 annual entries of 36 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 Halit Efendi
- Communications official (Muhabere Memuru)
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- School for young children (Sıbyan Mektebi)
- Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf)
- Muslim (Müslüman)
- Burgas (Burgaz)
- 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)