Official
Mıgırdıç Tanfiraki
Armenian Christian (Ermeni). Born in Istanbul (Dersaadet) in 1855/56 (AH 1272). On record 1876 to 1910, 31 annual entries.
Archive reference 58- 142;277
Life#
Born in Istanbul in 1855/56 (AH 1272), Mıgırdıç Tanfiraki came from the Armenian Christian (Ermeni) community; the father was a money-changer (sarraf). Schooling took four years, at a school for young children (Sıbyan Mektebi); Mıgırdıç Tanfiraki also wrote French as well as Turkish and had some knowledge of Greek (Rum).
At about 20, in 1876/77, Mıgırdıç Tanfiraki began work in Istanbul, paid from the start, on 500 kuruş a month. The first annual entry, for 1876/77, places Mıgırdıç Tanfiraki in Galata as an official of the union post (İttihat Posta Memuru), where the entries run to 1883/84. The lists have no entry for 1884 to 1887. Next came Skopje (Üsküp), Thessaloniki (Selanik) and Sirkeci from 1887 to 1892, then a return to Galata from 1893 to 1909, with a rise to a post in the control office (Kontrol Kalemi) in 1902/03. The last post was in Beyoğlu in 1909/10, with a rise to chief official (Başmemur).
Pay rose from 500 kuruş a month in 1876/77 to a peak of 1,300 in 1909/10, as Başmemur in Beyoğlu, when 78 per cent of paid officials earned less. In all, 31 years of salary come to 247,560 kuruş, 1.3 times what an official on the median salary earned in those years. The final annual entry is for 1909/10.
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 1855/56 (AH 1272); First work 1876/77 (AH 1293)
1876 to 1884 (AH 1293 to 1301)
500 to 700 kuruş a month; entries in 9 years
1887/88 (AH 1305)
No annual entry for 1884 to 1887 (AH 1302 to 1304) before it.
1,000 kuruş a month; entries in 1 year
1888 to 1891 (AH 1306 to 1308)
1,000 kuruş a month; entries in 3 years
1893 to 1909 (AH 1311 to 1326)
No annual entry for 1892/93 (AH 1310) before it.
İttihat Posta Memuru 1893 to 1900 (AH 1311 to 1317); Muhasebe Kalemi 1900 to 1902 (AH 1318 to 1319); Kontrol Kalemi 1902 to 1909 (AH 1320 to 1326)
450 to 600 kuruş a month; entries in 16 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, and the median of the same province for the years in which at least 5 officials were paid in the province of the official's salary that year.
The numbers of the chart
| Year | Salary | Median, all officials | Median, same title | Median, same province | Paid less |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1876/77 | 500 | 582.5 | 587.5 | 36% | |
| 1877/78 | 500 | 560 | 800 | 600 | 36% |
| 1878 | 500 | 600 | 600 | 33% | |
| 1878/79 | 700 | 600 | 600 | 61% | |
| 1879/80 | 600 | 500 | 500 | 61% | |
| 1880/81 | 650 | 500 | 500 | 70% | |
| 1881/82 | 650 | 500 | 500 | 71% | |
| 1882/83 | 650 | 500 | 500 | 500 | 70% |
| 1883/84 | 650 | 500 | 500 | 500 | 70% |
| 1887/88 | 1,000 | 500 | 600 | 500 | 83% |
| 1888/89 | 1,000 | 500 | 500 | 84% | |
| 1889/90 | 1,000 | 500 | 500 | 85% | |
| 1890/91 | 1,000 | 500 | 500 | 86% | |
| 1891/92 | 1,000 | 500 | 700 | 500 | 86% |
| 1893/94 | 550 | 500 | 625 | 480 | 58% |
| 1894/95 | 550 | 500 | 600 | 450 | 58% |
| 1895/96 | 600 | 500 | 600 | 440 | 59% |
| 1896/97 | 540 | 500 | 500 | 425 | 61% |
| 1897/98 | 540 | 500 | 500 | 425 | 61% |
| 1898/99 | 540 | 500 | 520 | 440 | 61% |
| 1899/1900 | 540 | 500 | 500 | 450 | 60% |
| 1900/01 | 450 | 500 | 300 | 450 | 43% |
| 1901/02 | 490 | 500 | 340 | 440 | 48% |
| 1902/03 | 590 | 500 | 300 | 450 | 67% |
| 1903/04 | 590 | 475 | 260 | 450 | 67% |
| 1904/05 | 590 | 450 | 210 | 450 | 67% |
| 1905/06 | 590 | 475 | 300 | 425 | 67% |
| 1906/07 | 590 | 450 | 320 | 470 | 65% |
| 1907/08 | 590 | 300 | 290 | 300 | 74% |
| 1908/09 | 590 | 350 | 200 | 400 | 68% |
| 1909/10 | 1,300 | 462.5 | 500 | 78% |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1876/77AH 1293 | First work | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 500first-salary field |
| 1876 to 1884AH 1293 to 1301 | İttihat Posta Memuru | Galata | 500 to 650 |
| No annual entry: 1884 to 1887 (AH 1302 to 1304) | |||
| 1887/88AH 1305 | İttihat Posta Memuru | Skopje (Üsküp) | 1,000 |
| 1888 to 1891AH 1306 to 1308 | Ittihat Posta Basmemuru | Thessaloniki (Selanik) | 1,000 |
| 1891/92AH 1309 | Başmemur | Sirkeci | 1,000 |
| No annual entry: 1892/93 (AH 1310) | |||
| 1893 to 1900AH 1311 to 1317 | İttihat Posta Memuru | Galata | 550 to 540 |
| 1900 to 1902AH 1318 to 1319 | Muhasebe Kalemi | Galata | 450 to 490 |
| 1902 to 1909AH 1320 to 1326 | Kontrol Kalemi | Galata | 590 |
| 1909/10AH 1327 | Başmemur | Beyoğlu | 1,300 |
Record#
Personal
- Born
- 1855/56 (AH 1272)
- Birthplace
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- Community
- Armenian Christian (Ermeni)
- Nationality as recorded
- Ermeni
- Father's occupation
- Sarraf
Education
- Primary
- Sıbyan Mektebi (4 years)school for young children (primary school)
- Unpaid years (mülazemet)
- 0 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
- French
- Kitabetwriting
- Greek (Rum)
- Asinafamiliarity. Rum is the word of the records for Greek as spoken by the Orthodox Christians of the empire. It is kept apart from the column Greek, which the records also have
- Turkish
- Kitabetwriting
The glosses are cautious historical readings of the recorded words, not modern levels of proficiency.
First work
- Year
- 1876/77 (AH 1293)
- Place
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- First salary field (kuruş a month)
- 500
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 post (job title and place), same years
Of the 4 officials who held İttihat Posta Memuru in Galata in the same years, Mıgırdıç Tanfiraki had the highest salary.
- Serkiz Hastayan Efendi7 shared years; highest salary 450 kuruş
- Mihran Efendi7 shared years; highest salary 400 kuruş
- Kirkor Efendi5 shared years; highest salary 875 kuruş
Same place, same years
Of the 139 officials with entries in Galata in the same years, Mıgırdıç Tanfiraki had the 19th highest salary.
- Dikran Arakilyan Efendi23 shared years; highest salary 1,300 kuruş
- Şarl Laze Efendi20 shared years; highest salary 1,250 kuruş
- Mikail Makakyan Efendi18 shared years; highest salary 800 kuruş
- Ahmet Avni Efendi16 shared years; highest salary 5,000 kuruş
- Hasan Tevfik Bey16 shared years; highest salary 750 kuruş
Same job title, same years
Of the 41 officials with the title İttihat Posta Memuru in the same years, Mıgırdıç Tanfiraki had the 3rd highest salary.
- İskarlato Roskoviç Efendi10 shared years; highest salary 850 kuruş
- Ernest Mavromati Efendi8 shared years; highest salary 750 kuruş
- Dadi Fransuva Efendi8 shared years; highest salary 600 kuruş
- Ohannes Abramiyan Efendi7 shared years; highest salary 1,100 kuruş
- Anastaş Efendi7 shared years; highest salary 630 kuruş
Same school
Of the 746 officials with Sıbyan Mektebi among their schools, 745 have a recorded salary; Mıgırdıç Tanfiraki had the 141st highest salary of them.
- Abdülhadi Efendiborn 1855/56 (AH 1272); highest salary 800 kuruş
- Ali Riza Efendiborn 1855/56 (AH 1272); highest salary 2,000 kuruş
- Hasan Efendiborn 1855/56 (AH 1272); highest salary 900 kuruş
- Hüseyin Medhi Efendiborn 1855/56 (AH 1272); highest salary 600 kuruş
- Hüseyin Şemsettin Efendiborn 1855/56 (AH 1272); highest salary 400 kuruş
Same birthplace
Of the 1,999 officials born in Istanbul, 1,997 have a recorded salary; Mıgırdıç Tanfiraki had the 258th highest salary of them.
- Ahmet Fuat Beyborn 1855/56 (AH 1272); highest salary 1,000 kuruş
- Ahmet Raşit Efendiborn 1855/56 (AH 1272); highest salary 975 kuruş
- Antranik Efendiborn 1855/56 (AH 1272); highest salary 720 kuruş
- Hafiz Ali Efendiborn 1855/56 (AH 1272); highest salary 300 kuruş
- Halil Rasih Efendiborn 1855/56 (AH 1272); highest salary 400 kuruş
First annual entry in the same year
Of the 120 officials whose first annual entry is for 1876/77 (AH 1293), Mıgırdıç Tanfiraki had the 13th highest salary.
- Kirkor Efendifirst entry in Galata; highest salary 875 kuruş
- Viçen Vinsan? Mecid Efendifirst entry in Galata; highest salary 500 kuruş
- Ali Riza Efendifirst entry in Eskişehir; highest salary 2,000 kuruş
- Hasan Basri Efendifirst entry in Sofia (Sofya); highest salary 600 kuruş
- İbrahim Faik Beyfirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 600 kuruş
Full record
Annual entries (31)
| Year | Title | Place | Kuruş a month | Institution | Source | Archive reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1876/77AH 1293 | İttihat Posta Memuru | Galata | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 142;277 |
| 1877/78AH 1294 | İttihat Posta Memuru | Galata | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 142;277 |
| 1878AH 1295 | İttihat Posta Memuru | Galata | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 142;277 |
| 1878/79AH 1296 | İttihat Posta Memuru | Galata | 700 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 142;277 |
| 1879/80AH 1297 | İttihat Posta Memuru | Galata | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 142;277 |
| 1880/81AH 1298 | İttihat Posta Memuru | Galata | 650 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 142;277 |
| 1881/82AH 1299 | İttihat Posta Memuru | Galata | 650 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 142;277 |
| 1882/83AH 1300 | İttihat Posta Memuru | Galata | 650 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 142;277 |
| 1883/84AH 1301 | İttihat Posta Memuru | Galata | 650 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 142;277 |
| 1887/88AH 1305 | İttihat Posta Memuru | Skopje (Üsküp) | 1,000 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 142;277 |
| 1888/89AH 1306 | Ittihat Posta Basmemuru | Thessaloniki (Selanik) | 1,000 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 142;277 |
| 1889/90AH 1307 | Ittihat Posta Basmemuru | Thessaloniki (Selanik) | 1,000 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 142;277 |
| 1890/91AH 1308 | Ittihat Posta Basmemuru | Thessaloniki (Selanik) | 1,000 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 142;277 |
| 1891/92AH 1309 | Başmemur | Sirkeci | 1,000 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 142;277 |
| 1893/94AH 1311 | İttihat Posta Memuru | Galata | 550 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 142;277 |
| 1894/95AH 1312 | İttihat Posta Memuru | Galata | 550 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 142;277 |
| 1895/96AH 1313 | İttihat Posta Memuru | Galata | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 142;277 |
| 1896/97AH 1314 | İttihat Posta Memuru | Galata | 540 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 142;277 |
| 1897/98AH 1315 | İttihat Posta Memuru | Galata | 540 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 142;277 |
| 1898/99AH 1316 | İttihat Posta Memuru | Galata | 540 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 142;277 |
| 1899/1900AH 1317 | İttihat Posta Memuru | Galata | 540 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 142;277 |
| 1900/01AH 1318 | Muhasebe Kalemi | Galata | 450 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 142;277 |
| 1901/02AH 1319 | Muhasebe Kalemi | Galata | 490 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 142;277 |
| 1902/03AH 1320 | Kontrol Kalemi | Galata | 590 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 142;277 |
| 1903/04AH 1321 | Kontrol Kalemi | Galata | 590 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 142;277 |
| 1904/05AH 1322 | Kontrol Kalemi | Galata | 590 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 142;277 |
| 1905/06AH 1323 | Kontrol Kalemi | Galata | 590 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 142;277 |
| 1906/07AH 1324 | Kontrol Kalemi | Galata | 590 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 142;277 |
| 1907/08AH 1325 | Kontrol Kalemi | Galata | 590 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 142;277 |
| 1908/09AH 1326 | Kontrol Kalemi | Galata | 590 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 142;277 |
| 1909/10AH 1327 | Başmemur | Beyoğlu | 1,300 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 142;277 |
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 (14)
| Field | Recorded value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | ||
| Name | Mıgırdıç Tanfiraki | Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Birth year (AH) | 1272 | 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 | sarraf | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Religion | hristiyan | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Nationality or community | ermeni | 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 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First work | ||
| First work: year (AH) | 1293 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First work: Gregorian year as stored | 1876 | 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) | 500 | 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.
- 27 annual entries of 31 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
- Mıgırdıç Tanfiraki
- Official of the union (international) post (İttihat Posta Memuru)
- Galata
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- School for young children (Sıbyan Mektebi)
- Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf)
- Armenian Christian (Ermeni)
- 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)