Official
Mehmet Raif Efendi
Muslim (Müslüman). Born in Tekirdağ in 1849/50 (AH 1266). On record 1867 to 1881, 15 annual entries.
Archive reference 30_232; 461
Life#
Mehmet Raif Efendi was born in Tekirdağ in 1849/50 (AH 1266), into the Muslim (Müslüman) community, and the father's occupation was "Bakkal". Schooling took seven years, at a middle school (Rüşdiye Mektebi); Mehmet Raif also held a qualification (a diploma, certificate, training or decoration).
Work began in the Mal Kalemi in Tekirdağ in 1865/66, at about 16, with two unpaid years as a mülazım (apprentice) before a first salary of 300 kuruş. The first annual entry, for 1867/68, places Mehmet Raif in Edirne as a communications official (Muhabere Memuru). Next came Svilengrad (Cisr-i Mustafapaşa) from 1868 to 1877, then Chirpan in 1877/78, as a director of the second grade (2. Müdür), and Istanbul in 1878. The last posts were in Babaeski (Baba-yı Atik) from 1878 to 1881.
Pay rose from 300 kuruş a month in 1867/68 to a peak of 800 in 1877/78, as 2. Müdür in Chirpan, when 68 per cent of paid officials earned less. The peak lasted a single year; the next list gives 600 kuruş. The last annual entry is for 1880/81.
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.
Svilengrad (Cisr-i Mustafapaşa)
1868 to 1877 (AH 1285 to 1293)
450 to 600 kuruş a month; entries in 9 years
1878 to 1881 (AH 1296 to 1298)
3. Müdür 1878 to 1880 (AH 1296 to 1297); Mal Muduru 1880/81 (AH 1298)
500 to 600 kuruş a month; entries in 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1867/68 | 300 | 600 | 480 | 8% |
| 1868/69 | 480 | 600 | 480 | 32% |
| 1869/70 | 480 | 600 | 400 | 34% |
| 1870/71 | 480 | 600 | 400 | 37% |
| 1871/72 | 450 | 550 | 400 | 36% |
| 1872/73 | 575 | 550 | 400 | 54% |
| 1873/74 | 575 | 500 | 400 | 55% |
| 1874/75 | 575 | 535 | 450 | 54% |
| 1875/76 | 575 | 530 | 400 | 54% |
| 1876/77 | 600 | 582.5 | 410 | 50% |
| 1877/78 | 800 | 560 | 800 | 68% |
| 1878 | 600 | 600 | 46% | |
| 1878/79 | 600 | 600 | 600 | 47% |
| 1879/80 | 540 | 500 | 600 | 58% |
| 1880/81 | 500 | 500 | 47% |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1865/66AH 1282 | Mal Kalemifirst work | Tekirdağ | 300first-salary field |
| 1867/68AH 1284 | Muhabere Memuru | Edirne | 300 |
| 1868 to 1877AH 1285 to 1293 | Muhabere Memuru | Svilengrad (Cisr-i Mustafapaşa) | 480 to 600 |
| 1877/78AH 1294 | 2. Müdür | Chirpan (Çırpan) | 800 |
| 1878AH 1295 | Vezne Kitabeti | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 600 |
| 1878 to 1880AH 1296 to 1297 | 3. Müdür | Babaeski (Baba-yı Atik) | 600 to 540 |
| 1880/81AH 1298 | Mal Muduru | Babaeski (Baba-yı Atik) | 500 |
Record#
Personal
- Born
- 1849/50 (AH 1266)
- Birthplace
- Tekirdağ
- Community
- Muslim (Müslüman)
- Nationality as recorded
- Turkish
- Father's occupation
- Bakkal
Education
- Rüşdiye
- Rüşdiye Mektebi (7 years)rüşdiye school (middle school)
- Unpaid years (mülazemet)
- 2 years
- Preparation route (classification of the paper)
- Middle
- Qualification (diploma, certificate, training or nişan)
- 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
- 1865/66 (AH 1282)
- Place
- Tekirdağ
- First job as worded
- Mal Kalemi
- Age at first work (workbook field)
- 16
- First salary field (kuruş a month)
- 300
- First-job salary of the original workbook (kuruş a month)
- 300
Notes from the record
- Merit and competence grade (recorded code)
- 1
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 5 officials with entries in Svilengrad (Cisr-i Mustafapaşa) in the same years, Mehmet Raif Efendi had the highest salary.
- Yusuf Bey5 shared years; highest salary 650 kuruş
- Ahmet Efendi3 shared years; highest salary 200 kuruş
- Aristotel Fridas Efendi2 shared years; highest salary 800 kuruş
- Osman Nuri Efendi1 shared year; highest salary 800 kuruş
All 68 officials with entries in Svilengrad (Cisr-i Mustafapaşa)
Same job title, same years
Of the 578 officials with the title Muhabere Memuru in the same years, Mehmet Raif Efendi had the 252nd highest salary.
- Süleyman Reşid Efendi10 shared years; highest salary 2,500 kuruş
- Mehmet Ruhi Bey10 shared years; highest salary 1,600 kuruş
- Mehmet Pertev Bey10 shared years; highest salary 1,500 kuruş
- Nikola Yunani Efendi10 shared years; highest salary 1,350 kuruş
- Şarl Laze Efendi10 shared years; highest salary 1,250 kuruş
Same school
Of the 3,206 officials with Rüşdiye Mektebi among their schools, 3,200 have a recorded salary; Mehmet Raif Efendi had the 477th highest salary of them.
- Abdulvahab Efendiborn 1849/50 (AH 1266); highest salary 500 kuruş
- Ahmet Cemal Efendiborn 1849/50 (AH 1266); highest salary 760 kuruş
- Ahmet Halit Efendiborn 1849/50 (AH 1266); highest salary 720 kuruş
- Ahmet Latif Efendiborn 1849/50 (AH 1266); highest salary 800 kuruş
- Ahmet Recai Efendiborn 1849/50 (AH 1266); highest salary 500 kuruş
Same birthplace
Of the 21 officials born in Tekirdağ, Mehmet Raif Efendi had the 6th highest salary.
- Salih Sabri Efendiborn 1848/49 (AH 1265); highest salary 1,000 kuruş
- Mehmet Tevfik Efendiborn 1852/53 (AH 1269); highest salary 800 kuruş
- Mehmet Ata Efendiborn 1853/54 (AH 1270); highest salary 1,050 kuruş
- Mehmet Raif Efendiborn 1854/55 (AH 1271); highest salary 650 kuruş
- Hazım Rasim Efendiborn 1844/45 (AH 1260); highest salary 600 kuruş
First annual entry in the same year
Of the 73 officials whose first annual entry is for 1867/68 (AH 1284), Mehmet Raif Efendi had the 37th highest salary.
- Yusuf Beyfirst entry in Edirne; highest salary 650 kuruş
- Hafiz Hasan Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 3,000 kuruş
- Kapril Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 3,000 kuruş
- Mehmet Tevfik Efendifirst entry in Jerusalem (Kudüs); highest salary 1,100 kuruş
- Seyyit Ahmet Naci Efendifirst entry in Varna; highest salary 500 kuruş
Full record
Annual entries (15)
| Year | Title | Place | Kuruş a month | Institution | Source | Archive reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1867/68AH 1284 | Muhabere Memuru | Edirne | 300 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 30_232; 461 |
| 1868/69AH 1285 | Muhabere Memuru | Svilengrad (Cisr-i Mustafapaşa) | 480 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 30_232; 461 |
| 1869/70AH 1286 | Muhabere Memuru | Svilengrad (Cisr-i Mustafapaşa) | 480 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 30_232; 461 |
| 1870/71AH 1287 | Muhabere Memuru | Svilengrad (Cisr-i Mustafapaşa) | 480 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 30_232; 461 |
| 1871/72AH 1288 | Muhabere Memuru | Svilengrad (Cisr-i Mustafapaşa) | 450 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 30_232; 461 |
| 1872/73AH 1289 | Muhabere Memuru | Svilengrad (Cisr-i Mustafapaşa) | 575 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 30_232; 461 |
| 1873/74AH 1290 | Muhabere Memuru | Svilengrad (Cisr-i Mustafapaşa) | 575 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 30_232; 461 |
| 1874/75AH 1291 | Muhabere Memuru | Svilengrad (Cisr-i Mustafapaşa) | 575 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 30_232; 461 |
| 1875/76AH 1292 | Muhabere Memuru | Svilengrad (Cisr-i Mustafapaşa) | 575 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 30_232; 461 |
| 1876/77AH 1293 | Muhabere Memuru | Svilengrad (Cisr-i Mustafapaşa) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 30_232; 461 |
| 1877/78AH 1294 | 2. Müdür | Chirpan (Çırpan) | 800 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 30_232; 461 |
| 1878AH 1295 | Vezne Kitabeti | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 30_232; 461 |
| 1878/79AH 1296 | 3. Müdür | Babaeski (Baba-yı Atik) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 30_232; 461 |
| 1879/80AH 1297 | 3. Müdür | Babaeski (Baba-yı Atik) | 540 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 30_232; 461 |
| 1880/81AH 1298 | Mal Muduru | Babaeski (Baba-yı Atik) | 500 | Finance (Maliye) | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 30_232; 461 |
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 (24)
| Field | Recorded value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | ||
| Name | Mehmet Raif Efendi | Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Linked personnel workbook |
| Birth year (AH) | 1266 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Birthplace | tekirdag | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Birthplace: district (kaza) | Tekirdag | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Birthplace: sancak | Tekirdag | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Birthplace: province (vilayet) | Edirne | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Province of birth | edirne | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Father's occupation | bakkal | 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) | 2 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First work | ||
| First work: year (AH) | 1282 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Linked personnel workbook |
| First work: Gregorian year as stored | 1865 | Recovered annual personnel extract |
| First work: place | Tekirdag | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First work: district (kaza) | Tekirdag | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First work: sancak | Tekirdag | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First work: province (vilayet) | Edirne | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First job as worded | Mal Kalemi | Linked personnel workbook; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Age at first work (workbook field) | 16 | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First salary field (kuruş a month) | 300 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First-job salary of the original workbook (kuruş a month) | 300 | Linked personnel workbook; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Other recorded values | ||
| Merit and competence grade (recorded code) | 1 | 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 15 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 Raif Efendi
- Communications official (Muhabere Memuru)
- Svilengrad (Cisr-i Mustafapaşa)
- Tekirdağ
- 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)