Official
Ahmet Hamdi Efendi
Muslim (Müslüman). Born in Istanbul (Dersaadet) in 1845/46 (AH 1262). On record 1871 to 1883, 13 annual entries. Death recorded 1883/84.
Archive reference 8_78; 151
Life#
Born in Istanbul in 1845/46 (AH 1262), Ahmet Hamdi Efendi came from the Muslim (Müslüman) community; the father was a doctor (doktor). Schooling took 14 years, at the School of Medicine (Tıbbiye Mektebi); Ahmet Hamdi also attended the telegraph school, and wrote Turkish and spoke French.
At about 21, in 1867/68, Ahmet Hamdi began work in Istanbul, with four unpaid years as a mülazım (apprentice) before a first salary of 380 kuruş. The annual lists begin in 1871/72, with Ahmet Hamdi as a communications official (Muhabere Memuru) in Çeşme. Next came a return to Istanbul, the birthplace, from 1872 to 1877, then Beylerbeyi in 1877/78. The last posts were in Istanbul again from 1878 to 1883.
The salary went from 380 kuruş a month in 1871/72 to 400 in 1877/78, the peak, as Muhabere Memuru in Beylerbeyi, when 16 per cent of paid officials earned less. Over 13 years pay ended where it began, at 380 kuruş. After the last annual entry, for 1882/83, the list of 1883/84 (AH 1301) gives the status word Vefat (death).
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 1867/68 (AH 1284)
1872 to 1877 (AH 1289 to 1293)
180 to 200 kuruş a month; entries in 5 years
1878 to 1883 (AH 1295 to 1300)
380 to 400 kuruş a month; entries in 6 years
Death recorded in the annual list of 1883/84 (AH 1301): the word Vefat, not a date of death.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1871/72 | 380 | 550 | 400 | 20% |
| 1872/73 | 180 | 550 | 400 | 4% |
| 1873/74 | 180 | 500 | 400 | 6% |
| 1874/75 | 180 | 535 | 450 | 6% |
| 1875/76 | 180 | 530 | 400 | 6% |
| 1876/77 | 200 | 582.5 | 410 | 5% |
| 1877/78 | 400 | 560 | 410 | 16% |
| 1878 | 400 | 600 | 500 | 17% |
| 1878/79 | 400 | 600 | 420 | 18% |
| 1879/80 | 380 | 500 | 380 | 22% |
| 1880/81 | 380 | 500 | 400 | 21% |
| 1881/82 | 380 | 500 | 400 | 20% |
| 1882/83 | 380 | 500 | 400 | 18% |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1867/68AH 1284 | First work | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 380first-salary field |
| 1871/72AH 1288 | Muhabere Memuru | Çeşme | 380 |
| 1872 to 1877AH 1289 to 1293 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 180 to 200 |
| 1877/78AH 1294 | Muhabere Memuru | Beylerbeyi | 400 |
| 1878 to 1883AH 1295 to 1300 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 400 to 380 |
| 1883/84AH 1301 | Death recorded | ||
Record#
Personal
- Born
- 1845/46 (AH 1262)
- Birthplace
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- Community
- Muslim (Müslüman)
- Nationality as recorded
- Turkish
- Father's occupation
- Doktor
- Death recorded
- 1883/84 (AH 1301)the year of the annual list with the word Vefat, not a date of death
Education
- Higher or professional
- Tıbbiye Mektebi (14 years)School of Medicine
- Higher or professional
- Telgraf Mektebitelegraph school; recorded as a code
- Unpaid years (mülazemet)
- 4 years
- Preparation route (classification of the paper)
- Other High
- Qualification (diploma, certificate, training or nişan)
- No
The years count all schooling up to that school, as the record gives them.
Languages
- French
- Tekellumspeaking
- Turkish
- Kitabetwriting
The glosses are cautious historical readings of the recorded words, not modern levels of proficiency.
First work
- Year
- 1867/68 (AH 1284)
- Place
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- First salary field (kuruş a month)
- 380
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 540 officials with entries in Istanbul in the same years, Ahmet Hamdi Efendi had the 498th highest salary.
- Emil Efendi11 shared years; highest salary 9,000 kuruş
- Suleyman Resat Bey11 shared years; highest salary 7,000 kuruş
- Mehmet Hayri Bey11 shared years; highest salary 5,500 kuruş
- Mehmet Emin Bey11 shared years; highest salary 5,000 kuruş
- Melkok Efendi11 shared years; highest salary 5,000 kuruş
Same job title, same years
Of the 840 officials with the title Muhabere Memuru in the same years, Ahmet Hamdi Efendi had the 788th 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 Pertev Bey13 shared years; highest salary 1,500 kuruş
- Tahir Efendi13 shared years; highest salary 1,500 kuruş
Same school
Of the 16 officials with Tıbbiye Mektebi among their schools, Ahmet Hamdi Efendi had the 15th highest salary.
- İsmail Hakkı Efendiborn 1847/48 (AH 1264); highest salary 600 kuruş
- Mustafa Musli Efendiborn 1843/44 (AH 1259); highest salary 1,000 kuruş
- Hafız Halil Efendiborn 1840/41 (AH 1256); highest salary 1,200 kuruş
- Mustafa Agah Efendiborn 1836/37 (AH 1252); highest salary 4,000 kuruş
- Unnamed official (0067_00229; sayfa no:455-456)born 1856/57 (AH 1273); highest salary 1,500 kuruş
Same birthplace
Of the 1,999 officials born in Istanbul, 1,997 have a recorded salary; Ahmet Hamdi Efendi had the 1,196th highest salary of them.
- 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
- Hafız Tevfik Efendiborn 1845/46 (AH 1262); highest salary 800 kuruş
First annual entry in the same year
Of the 62 officials whose first annual entry is for 1871/72 (AH 1288), Ahmet Hamdi Efendi had the 60th highest salary.
- Abdullah Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 1,000 kuruş
- Mehmet Ata Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 1,500 kuruş
- Mihalaki Efendifirst entry in Volos (Golos); highest salary 480 kuruş
- Ahmet Naili Efendifirst entry in Giresun; highest salary 600 kuruş
- Mıgırdıç Şinavder Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 500 kuruş
Full record
Annual entries (13)
| Year | Title | Place | Kuruş a month | Institution | Source | Archive reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1871/72AH 1288 | Muhabere Memuru | Çeşme | 380 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 8_78; 151 |
| 1872/73AH 1289 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 180 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 8_78; 151 |
| 1873/74AH 1290 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 180 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 8_78; 151 |
| 1874/75AH 1291 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 180 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 8_78; 151 |
| 1875/76AH 1292 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 180 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 8_78; 151 |
| 1876/77AH 1293 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 200 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 8_78; 151 |
| 1877/78AH 1294 | Muhabere Memuru | Beylerbeyi | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 8_78; 151 |
| 1878AH 1295 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 8_78; 151 |
| 1878/79AH 1296 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 8_78; 151 |
| 1879/80AH 1297 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 380 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 8_78; 151 |
| 1880/81AH 1298 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 380 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 8_78; 151 |
| 1881/82AH 1299 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 380 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 8_78; 151 |
| 1882/83AH 1300 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 380 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 8_78; 151 |
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 (16)
| Field | Recorded value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | ||
| Name | Ahmet Hamdi 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 |
| Father's occupation | Doktor | 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 | Tibbiye Mektebi | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Years of schooling | 14 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Telegraph school (recorded code) | 1 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Years of apprenticeship (mülazemet) | 4 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First work | ||
| First work: year (AH) | 1284 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First work: Gregorian year as stored | 1867 | 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 |
| Status | ||
| Death recorded under the year (AH) | 1301 | Earlier annual personnel extract (original copy); Earlier annual personnel extract (parallel copy) |
What the sources named in this table are
- Earlier annual personnel extract (original copy)
- A copy of the earlier annual personnel file, read for the title wording of each year. A death taken from it is the status word Vefat in the title field of one annual list: the year is the year of that list, not a date of death.
- Earlier annual personnel extract (parallel copy)
- A second copy of the earlier annual personnel file, read in the same way. A death taken from it is the status word Vefat in the title field of one annual list: the year is the year of that list, not a date of death. Two copies that agree are one piece of evidence, not two.
- 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.
- 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
- Ahmet Hamdi Efendi
- Communications official (Muhabere Memuru)
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- School of Medicine (Tıbbiye Mektebi)
- Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf)
- Muslim (Müslüman)
- Çeşme
- 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)