Official
Mehmet Tosun Efendi
Muslim (Müslüman). Born in Istanbul (Dersaadet) in 1853/54 (AH 1270). On record 1871 to 1900, 19 annual entries. Death recorded 1900/01.
Archive reference 37_127; 251
Life#
Born in Istanbul in 1853/54 (AH 1270) into the Muslim (Müslüman) community, Mehmet Tosun Efendi was the child of a colonel (miralay). Mehmet Tosun had seven years of schooling, at a middle school (Rüşdiye Mektebi).
Work began in Istanbul in 1868/69, at about 15, with three unpaid years as a mülazım (apprentice) before a first salary of 400 kuruş. The annual lists begin in 1871/72, with Mehmet Tosun as a communications official (Muhabere Memuru) in Kıyıköy (Midye). Next came Incili and Afyonkarahisar (Karahisar-ı Sahib) from 1872 to 1877, then Beyoğlu from 1887 to 1894. The lists have no entry for 1877 to 1887. The last posts were in Kadıköy from 1894 to 1900, first as a director of the first grade (1. Müdür), from 1895/96 as a director (Müdür).
Pay rose from 400 kuruş a month in 1871/72 to a peak of 1,700 in 1895/96, as Müdür in Kadıköy, when 95 per cent of paid officials earned less. The peak lasted a single year; the next list gives 1,530 kuruş. Over 19 years the salaries add up to 225,480 kuruş, 1.9 times what an official on the median salary earned. The last annual entry is for 1899/1900; the list of 1900/01 (AH 1318) 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 1853/54 (AH 1270); First work 1868/69 (AH 1285)
Afyonkarahisar (Karahisar-ı Sahib)
1873 to 1877 (AH 1290 to 1293)
380 to 400 kuruş a month; entries in 4 years
1887 to 1894 (AH 1305 to 1311)
No annual entry for 1877 to 1887 (AH 1294 to 1304) before it.
Muhabere Memuru 1887 to 1889 (AH 1305 to 1306); Başmuhabere Memuru 1889 to 1894 (AH 1307 to 1311)
1,000 to 1,150 kuruş a month; entries in 7 years
Death recorded in the annual list of 1900/01 (AH 1318): 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 | 400 | 550 | 400 | 31% |
| 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 | 400 | 582.5 | 410 | 17% |
| 1887/88 | 1,000 | 500 | 400 | 83% |
| 1888/89 | 1,000 | 500 | 400 | 84% |
| 1889/90 | 1,050 | 500 | 600 | 87% |
| 1890/91 | 1,050 | 500 | 600 | 88% |
| 1891/92 | 1,050 | 500 | 600 | 89% |
| 1892/93 | 1,150 | 500 | 600 | 90% |
| 1893/94 | 1,150 | 500 | 600 | 90% |
| 1894/95 | 1,200 | 500 | 1,200 | 91% |
| 1895/96 | 1,700 | 500 | 2,250 | 95% |
| 1896/97 | 1,530 | 500 | 2,250 | 96% |
| 1897/98 | 1,530 | 500 | 1,800 | 96% |
| 1898/99 | 1,530 | 500 | 2,000 | 95% |
| 1899/1900 | 1,530 | 500 | 1,900 | 95% |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1868/69AH 1285 | First work | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 400first-salary field |
| 1871/72AH 1288 | Muhabere Memuru | Kıyıköy (Midye) | 400 |
| 1872/73AH 1289 | Muhabere Memuru | Incili | 380 |
| 1873 to 1877AH 1290 to 1293 | Muhabere Memuru | Afyonkarahisar (Karahisar-ı Sahib) | 380 to 400 |
| No annual entry: 1877 to 1887 (AH 1294 to 1304) | |||
| 1887 to 1889AH 1305 to 1306 | Muhabere Memuru | Beyoğlu | 1,000 |
| 1889 to 1894AH 1307 to 1311 | Başmuhabere Memuru | Beyoğlu | 1,050 to 1,150 |
| 1894/95AH 1312 | 1. Müdür | Kadıköy | 1,200 |
| 1895 to 1900AH 1313 to 1317 | Müdür | Kadıköy | 1,700 to 1,530 |
| 1900/01AH 1318 | Death recorded | ||
Record#
Personal
- Born
- 1853/54 (AH 1270)
- Birthplace
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- Community
- Muslim (Müslüman)
- Nationality as recorded
- Turkish
- Father's occupation
- Miralay
- Death recorded
- 1900/01 (AH 1318)the year of the annual list with the word Vefat, not a date of death
Education
- Rüşdiye
- Rüşdiye Mektebi (7 years)rüşdiye school (middle school)
- Unpaid years (mülazemet)
- 3 years
- Preparation route (classification of the paper)
- Low
- Qualification (diploma, certificate, training or nişan)
- No
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
- 1868/69 (AH 1285)
- Place
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- First salary field (kuruş a month)
- 400
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 146 officials with entries in Beyoğlu in the same years, Mehmet Tosun Efendi had the 18th highest salary.
- Mustafa Habip Efendi7 shared years; highest salary 15,000 kuruş
- Muftuzade Mehmet Hilmi Efendi7 shared years; highest salary 10,000 kuruş
- Vicin Hako Ciyan Efendi7 shared years; highest salary 5,000 kuruş
- Esperdiyon Diloti Efendi7 shared years; highest salary 3,360 kuruş
- Paskal Mıgırdıç Kazancıyan Efendi7 shared years; highest salary 2,905 kuruş
Same job title, same years
Of the 986 officials with the title Muhabere Memuru in the same years, Mehmet Tosun Efendi had the 44th highest salary.
- Tahir Efendi8 shared years; highest salary 1,500 kuruş
- Nikola Yunani Efendi8 shared years; highest salary 1,350 kuruş
- Bahattin Efendi8 shared years; highest salary 1,300 kuruş
- Mehmet Nazım Efendi8 shared years; highest salary 1,300 kuruş
- Taşçıyan Markar Efendi8 shared years; highest salary 1,300 kuruş
Same school
Of the 3,206 officials with Rüşdiye Mektebi among their schools, 3,200 have a recorded salary; Mehmet Tosun Efendi had the 118th highest salary of them.
- Abdülbaki Efendiborn 1853/54 (AH 1270); highest salary 1,000 kuruş
- Ahmet Naim Efendiborn 1853/54 (AH 1270); highest salary 500 kuruş
- Ahmet Rüştü Efendiborn 1853/54 (AH 1270); highest salary 3,000 kuruş
- Ali Haydar Efendiborn 1853/54 (AH 1270); highest salary 1,500 kuruş
- Feyzullah Zihni Efendiborn 1853/54 (AH 1270); highest salary 400 kuruş
Same birthplace
Of the 1,999 officials born in Istanbul, 1,997 have a recorded salary; Mehmet Tosun Efendi had the 186th 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 62 officials whose first annual entry is for 1871/72 (AH 1288), Mehmet Tosun Efendi had the 8th highest salary.
- Duranidis Efendifirst entry in Izmir (İzmir); highest salary 650 kuruş
- İsmet Efendifirst entry in Kastamonu; highest salary 1,250 kuruş
- Mehmed Sami Efendifirst entry in Trabzon; highest salary 1,600 kuruş
- Mehmed Şükrü Efendifirst entry in Sulaymaniyah (Süleymaniye); highest salary 600 kuruş
- Mustafa Akif Efendifirst entry in Yeni camii postanesi; highest salary 1,400 kuruş
Full record
Annual entries (19)
| Year | Title | Place | Kuruş a month | Institution | Source | Archive reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1871/72AH 1288 | Muhabere Memuru | Kıyıköy (Midye) | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 37_127; 251 |
| 1872/73AH 1289 | Muhabere Memuru | Incili | 380 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 37_127; 251 |
| 1873/74AH 1290 | Muhabere Memuru | Afyonkarahisar (Karahisar-ı Sahib) | 380 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 37_127; 251 |
| 1874/75AH 1291 | Muhabere Memuru | Afyonkarahisar (Karahisar-ı Sahib) | 380 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 37_127; 251 |
| 1875/76AH 1292 | Muhabere Memuru | Afyonkarahisar (Karahisar-ı Sahib) | 380 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 37_127; 251 |
| 1876/77AH 1293 | Muhabere Memuru | Afyonkarahisar (Karahisar-ı Sahib) | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 37_127; 251 |
| 1887/88AH 1305 | Muhabere Memuru | Beyoğlu | 1,000 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 37_127; 251 |
| 1888/89AH 1306 | Muhabere Memuru | Beyoğlu | 1,000 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 37_127; 251 |
| 1889/90AH 1307 | Başmuhabere Memuru | Beyoğlu | 1,050 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 37_127; 251 |
| 1890/91AH 1308 | Başmuhabere Memuru | Beyoğlu | 1,050 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 37_127; 251 |
| 1891/92AH 1309 | Başmuhabere Memuru | Beyoğlu | 1,050 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 37_127; 251 |
| 1892/93AH 1310 | Başmuhabere Memuru | Beyoğlu | 1,150 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 37_127; 251 |
| 1893/94AH 1311 | Başmuhabere Memuru | Beyoğlu | 1,150 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 37_127; 251 |
| 1894/95AH 1312 | 1. Müdür | Kadıköy | 1,200 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 37_127; 251 |
| 1895/96AH 1313 | Müdür | Kadıköy | 1,700 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 37_127; 251 |
| 1896/97AH 1314 | Müdür | Kadıköy | 1,530 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 37_127; 251 |
| 1897/98AH 1315 | Müdür | Kadıköy | 1,530 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 37_127; 251 |
| 1898/99AH 1316 | Müdür | Kadıköy | 1,530 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 37_127; 251 |
| 1899/1900AH 1317 | Müdür | Kadıköy | 1,530 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 37_127; 251 |
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 (15)
| Field | Recorded value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | ||
| Name | Mehmet Tosun 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 | miralay | 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 | Rusdiye Mektebi | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Years of schooling | 7 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Years of apprenticeship (mülazemet) | 3 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First work | ||
| First work: year (AH) | 1285 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First work: Gregorian year as stored | 1868 | 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) | 400 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Status | ||
| Death recorded under the year (AH) | 1318 | 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.
- 19 annual entries of 19 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 Tosun Efendi
- Communications official (Muhabere Memuru)
- Beyoğlu
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- 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)