Official
Mehmet Tahsin Efendi
Muslim (Müslüman). Born in Istanbul (Dersaadet) in 1860/61 (AH 1277). On record 1877 to 1907, 31 annual entries.
Archive reference 8_31; 57
Life#
Mehmet Tahsin Efendi was born in Istanbul in 1860/61 (AH 1277) into the Muslim (Müslüman) community; the father was a district governor or lieutenant colonel (kaymakam). Schooling took seven years, at a middle school (Rüşdiye Mektebi).
Work began in Balıkesir in 1873/74, at about 13, with four unpaid years as a mülazım (apprentice) before a first salary of 100 kuruş. Fewer than 6 per cent of the 5,128 officials whose age at first work is known began work at 13 or younger. The annual lists begin in 1877/78, with Mehmet Tahsin as a communications official (Muhabere Memuru) in Balıkesir. Next came a return to Istanbul, the birthplace, from 1878 to 1899. From 1899 to 1907 the annual entries place Mehmet Tahsin in Mabeyni humayun. Of the 775 officials whose entries span 30 years or more, fewer than 7 per cent kept one title throughout.
Pay rose from 100 kuruş a month in 1877/78 to a peak of 1,100 in 1902/03, as Muhabere Memuru in Mabeyni humayun, when nine in ten paid officials earned less. In all, 31 years of salary come to 181,620 kuruş, about what an official on the median salary earned in those years. The last annual entry is for 1906/07.
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 1860/61 (AH 1277)
First work 1873/74 (AH 1290); 1877/78 (AH 1294)
100 kuruş a month; entries in 1 year
1878 to 1899 (AH 1295 to 1316)
100 to 570 kuruş a month; entries in 22 years
1899 to 1907 (AH 1317 to 1324)
700 to 1,100 kuruş a month; entries in 8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1877/78 | 100 | 560 | 410 | 500 | 0% |
| 1878 | 100 | 600 | 500 | 600 | 0% |
| 1878/79 | 150 | 600 | 420 | 600 | 2% |
| 1879/80 | 150 | 500 | 380 | 500 | 4% |
| 1880/81 | 200 | 500 | 400 | 500 | 5% |
| 1881/82 | 200 | 500 | 400 | 500 | 5% |
| 1882/83 | 300 | 500 | 400 | 500 | 11% |
| 1883/84 | 300 | 500 | 400 | 500 | 12% |
| 1884/85 | 300 | 500 | 400 | 500 | 11% |
| 1885/86 | 300 | 500 | 400 | 500 | 12% |
| 1886/87 | 300 | 500 | 400 | 500 | 11% |
| 1887/88 | 300 | 500 | 400 | 500 | 11% |
| 1888/89 | 350 | 500 | 400 | 500 | 18% |
| 1889/90 | 400 | 500 | 400 | 500 | 27% |
| 1890/91 | 400 | 500 | 400 | 500 | 28% |
| 1891/92 | 400 | 500 | 400 | 500 | 29% |
| 1892/93 | 400 | 500 | 400 | 500 | 29% |
| 1893/94 | 400 | 500 | 400 | 480 | 30% |
| 1894/95 | 400 | 500 | 400 | 450 | 30% |
| 1895/96 | 400 | 500 | 400 | 440 | 30% |
| 1896/97 | 440 | 500 | 400 | 425 | 44% |
| 1897/98 | 475 | 500 | 400 | 425 | 47% |
| 1898/99 | 570 | 500 | 400 | 440 | 70% |
| 1899/1900 | 700 | 500 | 400 | 450 | 77% |
| 1900/01 | 700 | 500 | 400 | 450 | 76% |
| 1901/02 | 900 | 500 | 400 | 440 | 85% |
| 1902/03 | 1,100 | 500 | 380 | 450 | 90% |
| 1903/04 | 1,100 | 475 | 350 | 450 | 90% |
| 1904/05 | 1,100 | 450 | 350 | 450 | 90% |
| 1905/06 | 1,100 | 475 | 330 | 425 | 89% |
| 1906/07 | 1,100 | 450 | 300 | 470 | 89% |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1873/74AH 1290 | First work | Balıkesir | 100first-salary field |
| 1877/78AH 1294 | Muhabere Memuru | Balıkesir | 100 |
| 1878 to 1899AH 1295 to 1316 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 100 to 570 |
| 1899 to 1907AH 1317 to 1324 | Muhabere Memuru | Mabeyni humayun | 700 to 1,100 |
Record#
Personal
- Born
- 1860/61 (AH 1277)
- Birthplace
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- Community
- Muslim (Müslüman)
- Nationality as recorded
- Turkish
- Father's occupation
- Kaymakam
Education
- Rüşdiye
- Rüşdiye Mektebi (7 years)rüşdiye school (middle school)
- Unpaid years (mülazemet)
- 4 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
- 1873/74 (AH 1290)
- Place
- Balıkesir
- First salary field (kuruş a month)
- 100
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 255 officials who held Muhabere Memuru in Istanbul in the same years, Mehmet Tahsin Efendi had the 46th highest salary.
- Mehmet Nazım Efendi22 shared years; highest salary 1,300 kuruş
- Mustafa Daim Efendi22 shared years; highest salary 1,200 kuruş
- Ahmet Latif Efendi22 shared years; highest salary 800 kuruş
- Mustafa Naşit Efendi22 shared years; highest salary 800 kuruş
- İsmail Hakkı Efendi22 shared years; highest salary 600 kuruş
Same place, same years
Of the 1,122 officials with entries in Istanbul in the same years, Mehmet Tahsin Efendi had the 313th highest salary.
- Salahattin Bey22 shared years; highest salary 7,800 kuruş
- Suleyman Resat Bey22 shared years; highest salary 7,000 kuruş
- Mehmet Hayri Bey22 shared years; highest salary 5,500 kuruş
- Melkok Efendi22 shared years; highest salary 5,000 kuruş
- Mehmet Salim Bey22 shared years; highest salary 3,000 kuruş
Same job title, same years
Of the 2,689 officials with the title Muhabere Memuru in the same years, Mehmet Tahsin Efendi had the 195th highest salary.
- Nikola Yunani Efendi31 shared years; highest salary 1,350 kuruş
- Mustafa Nuri Efendi31 shared years; highest salary 900 kuruş
- Cemal Efendi31 shared years; highest salary 840 kuruş
- Nevrikyan Efendi31 shared years; highest salary 800 kuruş
- Mehmet Halid Efendi31 shared years; highest salary 690 kuruş
Same school
Of the 3,206 officials with Rüşdiye Mektebi among their schools, 3,200 have a recorded salary; Mehmet Tahsin Efendi had the 262nd highest salary of them.
- Abbas Efendiborn 1860/61 (AH 1277); highest salary 810 kuruş
- Abdulkerim Efendiborn 1860/61 (AH 1277); highest salary 900 kuruş
- Abdullah Kemali Efendiborn 1860/61 (AH 1277); highest salary 700 kuruş
- Abdullah Sevki Efendiborn 1860/61 (AH 1277); highest salary 640 kuruş
- Ahmet Bican Efendiborn 1860/61 (AH 1277); highest salary 450 kuruş
Same birthplace
Of the 1,999 officials born in Istanbul, 1,997 have a recorded salary; Mehmet Tahsin Efendi had the 325th highest salary of them.
- Abdullah Şemsettin Efendiborn 1860/61 (AH 1277); highest salary 650 kuruş
- Ahmet Nurettin Efendiborn 1860/61 (AH 1277); highest salary 150 kuruş
- Andon İzekiyan Efendiborn 1860/61 (AH 1277); highest salary 1,000 kuruş
- Andon Yaldızyan Efendiborn 1860/61 (AH 1277); highest salary 800 kuruş
- Antuan Teofilidi Efendiborn 1860/61 (AH 1277); highest salary 600 kuruş
First annual entry in the same year
Of the 118 officials whose first annual entry is for 1877/78 (AH 1294), Mehmet Tahsin Efendi had the 26th highest salary.
- Hafız Ali Efendifirst entry in Ruse (Rusçuk); highest salary 600 kuruş
- Hafız Hasan Suphi Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 1,200 kuruş
- Hasan Hüsnü Efendifirst entry in Preveza (Preveze); highest salary 500 kuruş
- Kadri Efendfirst entry in Niš (Niş); highest salary 800 kuruş
- Mehmet Kani Efendifirst entry in Çatalca; highest salary 400 kuruş
All 118 officials whose first annual entry is for 1877/78 (AH 1294)
Full record
Annual entries (31)
| Year | Title | Place | Kuruş a month | Institution | Source | Archive reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1877/78AH 1294 | Muhabere Memuru | Balıkesir | 100 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 8_31; 57 |
| 1878AH 1295 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 100 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 8_31; 57 |
| 1878/79AH 1296 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 150 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 8_31; 57 |
| 1879/80AH 1297 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 150 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 8_31; 57 |
| 1880/81AH 1298 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 200 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 8_31; 57 |
| 1881/82AH 1299 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 200 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 8_31; 57 |
| 1882/83AH 1300 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 300 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 8_31; 57 |
| 1883/84AH 1301 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 300 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 8_31; 57 |
| 1884/85AH 1302 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 300 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 8_31; 57 |
| 1885/86AH 1303 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 300 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 8_31; 57 |
| 1886/87AH 1304 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 300 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 8_31; 57 |
| 1887/88AH 1305 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 300 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 8_31; 57 |
| 1888/89AH 1306 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 350 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 8_31; 57 |
| 1889/90AH 1307 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 8_31; 57 |
| 1890/91AH 1308 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 8_31; 57 |
| 1891/92AH 1309 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 8_31; 57 |
| 1892/93AH 1310 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 8_31; 57 |
| 1893/94AH 1311 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 8_31; 57 |
| 1894/95AH 1312 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 8_31; 57 |
| 1895/96AH 1313 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 8_31; 57 |
| 1896/97AH 1314 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 440 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 8_31; 57 |
| 1897/98AH 1315 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 475 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 8_31; 57 |
| 1898/99AH 1316 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 570 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 8_31; 57 |
| 1899/1900AH 1317 | Muhabere Memuru | Mabeyni humayun | 700 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 8_31; 57 |
| 1900/01AH 1318 | Muhabere Memuru | Mabeyni humayun | 700 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 8_31; 57 |
| 1901/02AH 1319 | Muhabere Memuru | Mabeyni humayun | 900 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 8_31; 57 |
| 1902/03AH 1320 | Muhabere Memuru | Mabeyni humayun | 1,100 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 8_31; 57 |
| 1903/04AH 1321 | Muhabere Memuru | Mabeyni humayun | 1,100 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 8_31; 57 |
| 1904/05AH 1322 | Muhabere Memuru | Mabeyni humayun | 1,100 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 8_31; 57 |
| 1905/06AH 1323 | Muhabere Memuru | Mabeyni humayun | 1,100 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 8_31; 57 |
| 1906/07AH 1324 | Muhabere Memuru | Mabeyni humayun | 1,100 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 8_31; 57 |
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 | Mehmet Tahsin Efendi | Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Birth year (AH) | 1277 | 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 | Kaymakam | 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) | 4 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First work | ||
| First work: year (AH) | 1290 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First work: Gregorian year as stored | 1873 | Recovered annual personnel extract |
| First work: place | Balikesir | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First salary field (kuruş a month) | 100 | 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.
- 30 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
- Mehmet Tahsin Efendi
- Communications official (Muhabere Memuru)
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- Rüşdiye school (Rüşdiye Mektebi)
- Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf)
- Muslim (Müslüman)
- Mabeyni humayun
- 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)