Official
Yusuf Sitki Efendi
Muslim (Müslüman). Born in Van in 1867/68 (AH 1284). On record 1888 to 1902, 13 annual entries.
Archive reference 102_33_61
Life#
Born in Van in 1867/68 (AH 1284), Yusuf Sitki Efendi came from the Muslim (Müslüman) community. Yusuf Sitki had seven years of schooling, at a middle school (Rüşdiye Mektebi), wrote Turkish and spoke Armenian and Kurdish, and held a qualification (a diploma, certificate, training or decoration). Few officials knew Kurdish; only 12 of the 5,211 officials did.
At about 16, in 1882/83, Yusuf Sitki began work in the Muhasebe Kalemi in Van, with six unpaid years as a mülazım (apprentice) before a first salary of 60 kuruş. The first annual entry, for 1888/89, places Yusuf Sitki in Van, the birthplace, in the accounts office (Muhasebe Kalemi), where the entries run to 1890/91, with a rise to a post in the custody of the cash chest (Sandık Emaneti) in 1890/91. Yusuf Sitki then moved to Bitlis from 1892 to 1897, with a rise to communications official (Muhabere Memuru). The last posts were in Başkale from 1897 to 1901 and Van again in 1901/02.
The salary went from 120 kuruş a month in 1888/89 to 450 in 1901/02, the peak, as Muhabere Memuru in Van, when 45 per cent of paid officials earned less. Over 13 years the salaries add up to 54,600 kuruş, 70 per cent of what an official on the median salary earned. The final annual entry is for 1901/02.
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 1867/68 (AH 1284); First work 1882/83 (AH 1300); 1888 to 1891 (AH 1306 to 1308)
First work as Muhasebe Kalemi
Muhasebe Kalemi 1888 to 1890 (AH 1306 to 1307); Sandık Emaneti 1890/91 (AH 1308)
120 to 300 kuruş a month; entries in 3 years
1892 to 1897 (AH 1310 to 1314)
No annual entry for 1891/92 (AH 1309) before it.
380 to 400 kuruş a month; entries in 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1888/89 | 120 | 500 | 310 | 1% |
| 1889/90 | 120 | 500 | 250 | 3% |
| 1890/91 | 300 | 500 | 15% | |
| 1892/93 | 380 | 500 | 400 | 24% |
| 1893/94 | 380 | 500 | 400 | 25% |
| 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 | 400 | 500 | 400 | 31% |
| 1900/01 | 400 | 500 | 400 | 31% |
| 1901/02 | 450 | 500 | 400 | 45% |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1882/83AH 1300 | Muhasebe Kalemifirst work | Van | 60first-salary field |
| 1888/89AH 1306 | Muhasebe Kalemi | Van | 120 |
| 1889/90AH 1307 | Muhasebe Kalemi | Van | 120 |
| 1890/91AH 1308 | Sandık Emaneti | Van | 300 |
| No annual entry: 1891/92 (AH 1309) | |||
| 1892 to 1897AH 1310 to 1314 | Muhabere Memuru | Bitlis | 380 to 400 |
| 1897 to 1901AH 1315 to 1318 | Muhabere Memuru | Başkale | 400 |
| 1901/02AH 1319 | Muhabere Memuru | Van | 450 |
Record#
Personal
- Born
- 1867/68 (AH 1284)
- Birthplace
- Van
- Community
- Muslim (Müslüman)
- Nationality as recorded
- Turkish
Education
- Rüşdiye
- Rüşdiye Mektebi (7 years)rüşdiye school (middle school); place of the school as worded: Van
- Unpaid years (mülazemet)
- 6 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
- Armenian
- Tekellumspeaking
- Kurdish
- Tekellumspeaking
- Turkish
- Kitabetwriting
The glosses are cautious historical readings of the recorded words, not modern levels of proficiency.
First work
- Year
- 1882/83 (AH 1300)
- Place
- Van
- First job as worded
- Muhasebe Kalemi
- Age at first work (workbook field)
- 16
- First salary field (kuruş a month)
- 60
- First-job salary of the original workbook (kuruş a month)
- 60
Legal records
- Legal record note as worded
- Görevi Suistimal / vazifelerini dahi su-i istimal eylemelerinden naşi asalet-i memuriyeti tasdik olunmaksızın; Görevi Kötüye Kullanma
- Years (AH) with a criminal-record mark in the annual records
- 1311; 1312; 1313; 1314; 1315; 1316; 1317; 1318; 1319
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 19 officials with entries in Bitlis in the same years, Yusuf Sitki Efendi had the 14th highest salary.
- Mehmet Emin Efendi3 shared years; highest salary 1,580 kuruş
- Mehmet Hayri Efendi3 shared years; highest salary 540 kuruş
- Ahmet Şükrü Efendi3 shared years; highest salary 500 kuruş
- Ahmet Vasfi Efendi2 shared years; highest salary 3,000 kuruş
- Abdullah Talat Efendi2 shared years; highest salary 800 kuruş
Same job title, same years
Of the 1,656 officials with the title Muhabere Memuru in the same years, Yusuf Sitki Efendi had the 1,137th highest salary.
- Mehmet Arif Efendi10 shared years; highest salary 3,600 kuruş
- Mehmet Hulusi Bey10 shared years; highest salary 2,600 kuruş
- Mustafa Fazıl Bey10 shared years; highest salary 1,700 kuruş
- Mehmet Sadullah Efendi10 shared years; highest salary 1,650 kuruş
- Mehmet Asım Efendi10 shared years; highest salary 1,550 kuruş
Same school
Of the 3,206 officials with Rüşdiye Mektebi among their schools, 3,200 have a recorded salary; Yusuf Sitki Efendi had the 1,658th highest salary of them.
- Ahmet Efendiborn 1867/68 (AH 1284); highest salary 380 kuruş
- Ahmet Ferit Efendiborn 1867/68 (AH 1284); highest salary 540 kuruş
- Ahmet Nazif Efendiborn 1867/68 (AH 1284); highest salary 500 kuruş
- Ali Avni Efendiborn 1867/68 (AH 1284); highest salary 800 kuruş
- Ali Enver Efendiborn 1867/68 (AH 1284); highest salary 500 kuruş
Same birthplace
Of the 35 officials born in Van, Yusuf Sitki Efendi had the 17th highest salary.
- Mehmet Ruşen Efendiborn 1867/68 (AH 1284); highest salary 500 kuruş
- Mehmet Necip Efendiborn 1868/69 (AH 1285); highest salary 475 kuruş
- Hasan Tahsin Efendiborn 1870/71 (AH 1287); highest salary 500 kuruş
- Mardiros Efendiborn 1863/64 (AH 1280); highest salary 200 kuruş
- Unnamed official (8-150;293)born 1863/64 (AH 1280); highest salary 1,000 kuruş
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; Yusuf Sitki Efendi had the 84th highest salary of them.
- Ahmet Ferit Efendifirst entry in Bursa; highest salary 540 kuruş
- Ali Rıza Beyfirst entry in Thessaloniki (Selanik); highest salary 800 kuruş
- Ali Rıza Beyfirst entry in Tripoli (Trablusgarp); highest salary 1,500 kuruş
- Hasan Muhlis Beyfirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 60 kuruş
- Mehmet Dürri Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 75 kuruş
Full record
Annual entries (13)
| Year | Title | Place | Kuruş a month | Institution | Source | Archive reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1888/89AH 1306 | Muhasebe Kalemi | Van | 120 | Other | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 102_33_61 |
| 1889/90AH 1307 | Muhasebe Kalemi | Van | 120 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 102_33_61 |
| 1890/91AH 1308 | Sandık Emaneti | Van | 300 | Other | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 102_33_61 |
| 1892/93AH 1310 | Muhabere Memuru | Bitlis | 380 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 102_33_61 |
| 1893/94AH 1311 | Muhabere Memuru | Bitlis | 380 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 102_33_61 |
| 1894/95AH 1312 | Muhabere Memuru | Bitlis | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 102_33_61 |
| 1895/96AH 1313 | Muhabere Memuru | Bitlis | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 102_33_61 |
| 1896/97AH 1314 | Muhabere Memuru | Bitlis | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 102_33_61 |
| 1897/98AH 1315 | Muhabere Memuru | Başkale | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 102_33_61 |
| 1898/99AH 1316 | Muhabere Memuru | Başkale | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 102_33_61 |
| 1899/1900AH 1317 | Muhabere Memuru | Başkale | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 102_33_61 |
| 1900/01AH 1318 | Muhabere Memuru | Başkale | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 102_33_61 |
| 1901/02AH 1319 | Muhabere Memuru | Van | 450 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 102_33_61 |
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 (27)
| Field | Recorded value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | ||
| Name | Yusuf Sitki Efendi | Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Linked personnel workbook |
| Birth year (AH) | 1284 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Birthplace | van | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Birthplace: district (kaza) | Van | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Birthplace: sancak | Van | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Birthplace: province (vilayet) | Van | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Province of birth | van | 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 | Van | 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) | 6 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First work | ||
| First work: year (AH) | 1300 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Linked personnel workbook |
| First work: Gregorian year as stored | 1883 | Recovered annual personnel extract |
| First work: place | Van | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First work: district (kaza) | Van | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First work: sancak | Van | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First work: province (vilayet) | Van | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First job as worded | Muhasebe 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) | 60 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First-job salary of the original workbook (kuruş a month) | 60 | Linked personnel workbook; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Legal records | ||
| Legal record note as worded | Görevi Suistimal / vazifelerini dahi su-i istimal eylemelerinden naşi asalet-i memuriyeti tasdik olunmaksızın used on this page | Legal notes (earlier workbook copy); Legal notes (later workbook copy) |
| Legal record note as worded | Görevi Kötüye Kullanma other value | Legal notes (earlier workbook copy); Legal notes (later workbook copy) |
| Years (AH) with a criminal-record mark in the annual records | 1311; 1312; 1313; 1314; 1315; 1316; 1317; 1318; 1319 | Later annual personnel extract |
| Other recorded values | ||
| Merit and competence grade (recorded code) | 1 | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
What the sources named in this table are
- Legal notes (earlier workbook copy)
- A workbook of notes on legal records. The wording is kept as written. It may hold an accusation or an acquittal, it is not the finding of a court, and its year is the year of the record, not the date of an event.
- Legal notes (later workbook copy)
- A later copy of the workbook of notes on legal records. The same wording in both copies is one note, not two.
- 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.
- Later annual personnel extract
- The detailed annual personnel file of October 2025. It marks single annual entries with a criminal-record flag and holds status words such as Vefat. For a death, the year is the year of the annual list in which the status word stands.
- 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.
- The sources give more than one value for a marked field. Every value is listed.
- Origin of the record: Post and Telegraph personnel records.
- 11 annual entries of 13 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
- Yusuf Sitki Efendi
- Communications official (Muhabere Memuru)
- Bitlis
- Van
- 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)