Official
Mehmet Tevfik Efendi
Muslim (Müslüman). Born in Istanbul (Dersaadet) in 1853/54 (AH 1270). On record 1872 to 1884, 13 annual entries.
Archive reference 0034_0100; 197
Life#
Mehmet Tevfik Efendi was born in Istanbul in 1853/54 (AH 1270) into the Muslim (Müslüman) community; the father was an imam. Schooling took four years, at a school for young children (Sıbyan Mektebi).
Mehmet Tevfik began work in Istanbul in 1871/72, at about 17, with one unpaid year as a mülazım (apprentice) before a first salary of 380 kuruş. The annual lists begin in 1872/73, with Mehmet Tevfik as a communications official (Muhabere Memuru) in Bursa, where the entries run to 1876/77. Mehmet Tevfik then moved back to Istanbul, the birthplace, from 1877 to 1879. The last posts were in Beyoğlu from 1879 to 1883 and Akçakoca (Akçaşehir) in 1883/84.
Pay rose from 380 kuruş a month in 1872/73 to a peak of 400 in 1883/84, as Muhabere Memuru in Akçakoca, when 27 per cent of paid officials earned less. Over 13 years the salaries add up to 43,920 kuruş, 52 per cent of what an official on the median salary earned. The last annual entry is for 1883/84.
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 1853/54 (AH 1270); First work 1871/72 (AH 1288)
1877 to 1879 (AH 1294 to 1296)
200 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1872/73 | 380 | 550 | 400 | 18% |
| 1873/74 | 380 | 500 | 400 | 18% |
| 1874/75 | 380 | 535 | 450 | 18% |
| 1875/76 | 380 | 530 | 400 | 18% |
| 1876/77 | 380 | 582.5 | 410 | 16% |
| 1877/78 | 200 | 560 | 410 | 4% |
| 1878 | 200 | 600 | 500 | 3% |
| 1878/79 | 200 | 600 | 420 | 5% |
| 1879/80 | 190 | 500 | 380 | 5% |
| 1880/81 | 190 | 500 | 400 | 4% |
| 1881/82 | 190 | 500 | 400 | 5% |
| 1882/83 | 190 | 500 | 400 | 3% |
| 1883/84 | 400 | 500 | 400 | 27% |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1871/72AH 1288 | First work | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 380first-salary field |
| 1872 to 1877AH 1289 to 1293 | Muhabere Memuru | Bursa | 380 |
| 1877 to 1879AH 1294 to 1296 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 200 |
| 1879 to 1883AH 1297 to 1300 | Muhabere Memuru | Beyoğlu | 190 |
| 1883/84AH 1301 | Muhabere Memuru | Akçakoca (Akçaşehir) | 400 |
Record#
Personal
- Born
- 1853/54 (AH 1270)
- Birthplace
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- Community
- Muslim (Müslüman)
- Nationality as recorded
- Turkish
- Father's occupation
- imam
Education
- Primary
- Sıbyan Mektebi (4 years)school for young children (primary school)
- Unpaid years (mülazemet)
- 1 year
- 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
- 1871/72 (AH 1288)
- Place
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- First salary field (kuruş a month)
- 380
Legal records
- Legal record note as worded
- işret / Memuriyet-i mezbureden azli işrete me’lufiyetiyle işine ehemmiyet vermemesine mebnidir.; İşret
- Years (AH) with a criminal-record mark in the annual records
- 1301
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 17 officials with entries in Bursa in the same years, Mehmet Tevfik Efendi had the lowest salary.
- Mehmet Şevki Efendi5 shared years; highest salary 2,000 kuruş
- Mustafa Bahri Efendi5 shared years; highest salary 1,750 kuruş
- Haci Nazmi Efendi5 shared years; highest salary 1,000 kuruş
- Unnamed official (0049_0022; 41)3 shared years; highest salary 600 kuruş
- Unnamed official (0006_0309; 613)3 shared years; highest salary 550 kuruş
Same job title, same years
Of the 886 officials with the title Muhabere Memuru in the same years, Mehmet Tevfik Efendi had the 829th highest salary.
- Süleyman Reşid Efendi13 shared years; highest salary 2,500 kuruş
- Unnamed official (26_188; 371)13 shared years; highest salary 2,500 kuruş
- Ohannes Holas Efendi13 shared years; highest salary 2,000 kuruş
- Mehmet Akif Efendi13 shared years; highest salary 1,750 kuruş
- Mehmet Pertev Bey13 shared years; highest salary 1,500 kuruş
Same school
Of the 746 officials with Sıbyan Mektebi among their schools, 745 have a recorded salary; Mehmet Tevfik Efendi had the 617th highest salary of them.
- Abdullah Efendiborn 1853/54 (AH 1270); highest salary 600 kuruş
- Abdurarhim Rahmi Efendiborn 1853/54 (AH 1270); highest salary 900 kuruş
- Agop Maryan Efendiborn 1853/54 (AH 1270); highest salary 750 kuruş
- Ahmet Canib Efendiborn 1853/54 (AH 1270); highest salary 590 kuruş
- Ahmet Fehmi Efendiborn 1853/54 (AH 1270); highest salary 1,200 kuruş
Same birthplace
Of the 1,999 officials born in Istanbul, 1,997 have a recorded salary; Mehmet Tevfik Efendi had the 1,196th highest salary of them.
- Agop Maryan Efendiborn 1853/54 (AH 1270); highest salary 750 kuruş
- Ahmet Canib Efendiborn 1853/54 (AH 1270); highest salary 590 kuruş
- Ahmet Naim Efendiborn 1853/54 (AH 1270); highest salary 500 kuruş
- Ali Haydar Efendiborn 1853/54 (AH 1270); highest salary 1,500 kuruş
- Ali Riza Efendiborn 1853/54 (AH 1270); highest salary 600 kuruş
First annual entry in the same year
Of the 84 officials whose first annual entry is for 1872/73 (AH 1289), Mehmet Tevfik Efendi had the 81st highest salary.
- Huseyin Refik Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 1,500 kuruş
- Mehmet Fazlı Efendifirst entry in Konya; highest salary 1,250 kuruş
- Mehmet Şerefeddin Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 1,700 kuruş
- Ali Sefik Efendifirst entry in Sivas; highest salary 1,500 kuruş
- İbrahim Hakkı Efendifirst entry in Kuşadası; highest salary 650 kuruş
Full record
Annual entries (13)
| Year | Title | Place | Kuruş a month | Institution | Source | Archive reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1872/73AH 1289 | Muhabere Memuru | Bursa | 380 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0100; 197 |
| 1873/74AH 1290 | Muhabere Memuru | Bursa | 380 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0100; 197 |
| 1874/75AH 1291 | Muhabere Memuru | Bursa | 380 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0100; 197 |
| 1875/76AH 1292 | Muhabere Memuru | Bursa | 380 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0100; 197 |
| 1876/77AH 1293 | Muhabere Memuru | Bursa | 380 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0100; 197 |
| 1877/78AH 1294 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 200 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0100; 197 |
| 1878AH 1295 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 200 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0100; 197 |
| 1878/79AH 1296 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 200 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0100; 197 |
| 1879/80AH 1297 | Muhabere Memuru | Beyoğlu | 190 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0100; 197 |
| 1880/81AH 1298 | Muhabere Memuru | Beyoğlu | 190 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0100; 197 |
| 1881/82AH 1299 | Muhabere Memuru | Beyoğlu | 190 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0100; 197 |
| 1882/83AH 1300 | Muhabere Memuru | Beyoğlu | 190 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0100; 197 |
| 1883/84AH 1301 | Muhabere Memuru | Akçakoca (Akçaşehir) | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0100; 197 |
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 (17)
| Field | Recorded value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | ||
| Name | Mehmet Tevfik Efendi | Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Birth year (AH) | 1270 | 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 |
| Father's occupation | imam | 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) | 1 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First work | ||
| First work: year (AH) | 1288 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First work: Gregorian year as stored | 1871 | 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) | 380 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Legal records | ||
| Legal record note as worded | işret / Memuriyet-i mezbureden azli işrete me’lufiyetiyle işine ehemmiyet vermemesine mebnidir. used on this page | Legal notes (earlier workbook copy); Legal notes (later workbook copy) |
| Legal record note as worded | İşret other value | Legal notes (earlier workbook copy); Legal notes (later workbook copy) |
| Years (AH) with a criminal-record mark in the annual records | 1301 | Later annual personnel extract |
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.
- 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.
- The sources give more than one value for a marked field. Every value is listed.
- Origin of the record: Post and Telegraph personnel records.
- 13 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
- Mehmet Tevfik Efendi
- Communications official (Muhabere Memuru)
- Bursa
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- School for young children (Sıbyan 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)