Official
Mehmet Şamil Efendi
Muslim (Müslüman). Born in Erzurum in 1853/54 (AH 1270). On record 1877 to 1904, 27 annual entries. Death recorded 1904/05.
Archive reference 0034_0096; 189
Life#
Mehmet Şamil Efendi was born in Erzurum in 1853/54 (AH 1270) into the Muslim (Müslüman) community; the father was an official (memur). Schooling took seven years, at a middle school (Rüşdiye Mektebi); Mehmet Şamil also attended the telegraph school and held a qualification (a diploma, certificate, training or decoration).
Mehmet Şamil began work in the telegraph service (Telgraf) in Istanbul in 1875/76, at about 21, with two unpaid years as a mülazım (apprentice) before a first salary of 400 kuruş. The first annual entry, for 1877/78, places Mehmet Şamil in Sofia (Sofya) as a communications official (Muhabere Memuru). Mehmet Şamil then moved to Çatalca in 1878 and Erzincan in 1878/79, then Pasinler (Hasankale) from 1880 to 1899. Next came İspir from 1899 to 1901. The last posts were in Keskin from 1901 to 1904.
The salary went from 400 kuruş a month in 1877/78 to 542 in 1903/04, the peak, as a director of the third grade (3. Müdür) in Keskin, when 65 per cent of paid officials earned less. Over 25 years the salaries add up to 141,876 kuruş, about what an official on the median salary earned. The last annual entry is for 1903/04; the list of 1904/05 (AH 1322) 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)
1880 to 1899 (AH 1298 to 1316)
No annual entry for 1879/80 (AH 1297) before it.
400 to 500 kuruş a month; entries in 19 years
Death recorded in the annual list of 1904/05 (AH 1322): 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, 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 | 400 | 560 | 410 | 500 | 16% |
| 1880/81 | 400 | 500 | 400 | 475 | 34% |
| 1881/82 | 400 | 500 | 400 | 400 | 31% |
| 1882/83 | 400 | 500 | 400 | 475 | 28% |
| 1883/84 | 400 | 500 | 400 | 500 | 27% |
| 1884/85 | 400 | 500 | 400 | 500 | 27% |
| 1885/86 | 400 | 500 | 400 | 500 | 27% |
| 1886/87 | 400 | 500 | 400 | 500 | 27% |
| 1887/88 | 500 | 500 | 400 | 500 | 41% |
| 1888/89 | 500 | 500 | 400 | 500 | 41% |
| 1889/90 | 500 | 500 | 400 | 500 | 42% |
| 1890/91 | 500 | 500 | 400 | 500 | 43% |
| 1891/92 | 500 | 500 | 400 | 500 | 43% |
| 1892/93 | 500 | 500 | 400 | 500 | 44% |
| 1893/94 | 500 | 500 | 400 | 500 | 46% |
| 1894/95 | 500 | 500 | 400 | 500 | 46% |
| 1895/96 | 500 | 500 | 400 | 500 | 47% |
| 1896/97 | 500 | 500 | 400 | 500 | 49% |
| 1897/98 | 500 | 500 | 400 | 500 | 49% |
| 1898/99 | 500 | 500 | 400 | 450 | 48% |
| 1899/1900 | 500 | 500 | 540 | 450 | 47% |
| 1900/01 | 500 | 500 | 540 | 450 | 47% |
| 1901/02 | 540 | 500 | 540 | 400 | 60% |
| 1902/03 | 541 | 500 | 540 | 400 | 65% |
| 1903/04 | 542 | 475 | 540 | 400 | 65% |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1875/76AH 1292 | Telgraffirst work | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 400first-salary field |
| 1877/78AH 1294 | Muhabere Memuru | Sofia (Sofya) | 400 |
| 1878AH 1295 | Çatalca | ||
| 1878/79AH 1296 | Erzincan | ||
| No annual entry: 1879/80 (AH 1297) | |||
| 1880 to 1899AH 1298 to 1316 | Muhabere Memuru | Pasinler (Hasankale) | 400 to 500 |
| 1899 to 1901AH 1317 to 1318 | 3. Müdür | İspir | 500 |
| 1901 to 1904AH 1319 to 1321 | 3. Müdür | Keskin | 540 to 542 |
| 1904/05AH 1322 | Death recorded | ||
Record#
Personal
- Born
- 1853/54 (AH 1270)
- Birthplace
- Erzurum
- Community
- Muslim (Müslüman)
- Nationality as recorded
- Turkish
- Father's occupation
- Memur
- Death recorded
- 1904/05 (AH 1322)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)
- Higher or professional
- Telgraf Mektebitelegraph school; recorded as a code
- Unpaid years (mülazemet)
- 2 years
- Preparation route (classification of the paper)
- Middle
- Qualification (diploma, certificate, training or nişan)
- 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
- 1875/76 (AH 1292)
- Place
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- First job as worded
- Telgraf
- Age at first work (workbook field)
- 22
- First salary field (kuruş a month)
- 400
- First-job salary of the original workbook (kuruş a month)
- 400
Notes from the record
- Merit and competence grade (recorded code)
- 1
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 8 officials who held Muhabere Memuru in Pasinler (Hasankale) in the same years, Mehmet Şamil Efendi had the 2nd highest salary.
- Ali Riza Efendi2 shared years; highest salary 800 kuruş
- Ali Rıza Efendi2 shared years; highest salary 500 kuruş
- İskender Efendi1 shared year; highest salary 540 kuruş
- Mehmet Galip Efendi1 shared year; highest salary 515 kuruş
- Hasan Tahsin Efendi1 shared year; highest salary 500 kuruş
Same place, same years
Of the 8 officials with entries in Pasinler (Hasankale) in the same years, Mehmet Şamil Efendi had the 2nd highest salary.
- Ali Riza Efendi2 shared years; highest salary 800 kuruş
- Ali Rıza Efendi2 shared years; highest salary 500 kuruş
- İskender Efendi1 shared year; highest salary 540 kuruş
- Mehmet Galip Efendi1 shared year; highest salary 515 kuruş
- Hasan Tahsin Efendi1 shared year; highest salary 500 kuruş
Same job title, same years
Of the 1,923 officials with the title Muhabere Memuru in the same years, Mehmet Şamil Efendi had the 1,051st highest salary.
- Ömer Nuri Efendi20 shared years; highest salary 1,500 kuruş
- Nikola Yunani Efendi20 shared years; highest salary 1,350 kuruş
- Mehmet Nazım Efendi20 shared years; highest salary 1,300 kuruş
- Şarl Laze Efendi20 shared years; highest salary 1,250 kuruş
- Hüseyin Efendi20 shared years; highest salary 1,200 kuruş
Same school
Of the 3,206 officials with Rüşdiye Mektebi among their schools, 3,200 have a recorded salary; Mehmet Şamil Efendi had the 1,155th 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 56 officials born in Erzurum, Mehmet Şamil Efendi had the 22nd highest salary.
- Mehmet Habip Efendiborn 1853/54 (AH 1270); highest salary 1,000 kuruş
- Ali Nevzad Beyborn 1851/52 (AH 1268); highest salary 4,500 kuruş
- Salih Vasfi Efendiborn 1856/57 (AH 1273); highest salary 630 kuruş
- Hacı Ahmet Tevfik Efendiborn 1857/58 (AH 1274); highest salary 2,000 kuruş
- Halil Efendiborn 1857/58 (AH 1274); highest salary 675 kuruş
First annual entry in the same year
Of the 118 officials whose first annual entry is for 1877/78 (AH 1294), Mehmet Şamil Efendi had the 87th highest salary.
- Ahmet Rıfat Efendifirst entry in Sofia (Sofya); highest salary 400 kuruş
- Agop Sırrı Efendifirst entry in Afyonkarahisar (Karahisar-ı Sahib); highest salary 500 kuruş
- Mahmut Efendifirst entry in Tuna; highest salary 1,500 kuruş
- Mehmet Habip Efendifirst entry in Erzurum; highest salary 1,000 kuruş
- Mehmet Sadullah Efendifirst entry in Edirne; highest salary 1,650 kuruş
Full record
Annual entries (27)
| Year | Title | Place | Kuruş a month | Institution | Source | Archive reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1877/78AH 1294 | Muhabere Memuru | Sofia (Sofya) | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0096; 189 |
| 1878AH 1295 | Çatalca | Other | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 0034_0096; 189 | ||
| 1878/79AH 1296 | Erzincan | Other | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 0034_0096; 189 | ||
| 1880/81AH 1298 | Muhabere Memuru | Pasinler (Hasankale) | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0096; 189 |
| 1881/82AH 1299 | Muhabere Memuru | Pasinler (Hasankale) | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0096; 189 |
| 1882/83AH 1300 | Muhabere Memuru | Pasinler (Hasankale) | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0096; 189 |
| 1883/84AH 1301 | Muhabere Memuru | Pasinler (Hasankale) | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0096; 189 |
| 1884/85AH 1302 | Muhabere Memuru | Pasinler (Hasankale) | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0096; 189 |
| 1885/86AH 1303 | Muhabere Memuru | Pasinler (Hasankale) | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0096; 189 |
| 1886/87AH 1304 | Muhabere Memuru | Pasinler (Hasankale) | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0096; 189 |
| 1887/88AH 1305 | Muhabere Memuru | Pasinler (Hasankale) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0096; 189 |
| 1888/89AH 1306 | Muhabere Memuru | Pasinler (Hasankale) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0096; 189 |
| 1889/90AH 1307 | Muhabere Memuru | Pasinler (Hasankale) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0096; 189 |
| 1890/91AH 1308 | Muhabere Memuru | Pasinler (Hasankale) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0096; 189 |
| 1891/92AH 1309 | Muhabere Memuru | Pasinler (Hasankale) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0096; 189 |
| 1892/93AH 1310 | Muhabere Memuru | Pasinler (Hasankale) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0096; 189 |
| 1893/94AH 1311 | Muhabere Memuru | Pasinler (Hasankale) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0096; 189 |
| 1894/95AH 1312 | Muhabere Memuru | Pasinler (Hasankale) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0096; 189 |
| 1895/96AH 1313 | Muhabere Memuru | Pasinler (Hasankale) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0096; 189 |
| 1896/97AH 1314 | Muhabere Memuru | Pasinler (Hasankale) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0096; 189 |
| 1897/98AH 1315 | Muhabere Memuru | Pasinler (Hasankale) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0096; 189 |
| 1898/99AH 1316 | Muhabere Memuru | Pasinler (Hasankale) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0096; 189 |
| 1899/1900AH 1317 | 3. Müdür | İspir | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0096; 189 |
| 1900/01AH 1318 | 3. Müdür | İspir | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0096; 189 |
| 1901/02AH 1319 | 3. Müdür | Keskin | 540 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0096; 189 |
| 1902/03AH 1320 | 3. Müdür | Keskin | 541 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0096; 189 |
| 1903/04AH 1321 | 3. Müdür | Keskin | 542 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0096; 189 |
What the sources named in this table are
- Cross-ministry personnel workbook
- A personnel workbook with the annual entries in institutions other than the Post and Telegraph (justice, land registry, customs, police and others), with the same annual fields as the personnel workbook.
- 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 (26)
| Field | Recorded value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | ||
| Name | Mehmet Şamil Efendi | Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Linked personnel workbook |
| Birth year (AH) | 1270 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Birthplace | erzurum | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Birthplace: district (kaza) | Erzurum | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Birthplace: sancak | Erzurum | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Birthplace: province (vilayet) | Erzurum | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Province of birth | erzurum | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Father's occupation | Memur | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Religion | Musluman | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Nationality or community | Turkish | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Schooling | ||
| School | Rusdiye Mektebi | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Years of schooling | 7 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Telegraph school (recorded code) | 1 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Years of apprenticeship (mülazemet) | 2 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First work | ||
| First work: year (AH) | 1292 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Linked personnel workbook |
| First work: Gregorian year as stored | 1875 | Recovered annual personnel extract |
| First work: place | istanbul | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First work: district (kaza) | istanbul | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First work: sancak | istanbul | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First work: province (vilayet) | istanbul | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First job as worded | Telgraf | Linked personnel workbook; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Age at first work (workbook field) | 22 | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First salary field (kuruş a month) | 400 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First-job salary of the original workbook (kuruş a month) | 400 | Linked personnel workbook; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Status | ||
| Death recorded under the year (AH) | 1322 | Earlier annual personnel extract (original copy); Earlier annual personnel extract (parallel copy) |
| Other recorded values | ||
| Merit and competence grade (recorded code) | 1 | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
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.
- Cross-ministry personnel workbook
- A personnel workbook with the annual entries in institutions other than the Post and Telegraph (justice, land registry, customs, police and others), with the same annual fields as the personnel workbook.
- 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.
- Linked personnel workbook
- The original personnel workbook, from which selected fields on background and first work are taken.
- Origin of the record: Post and Telegraph personnel records.
- 25 annual entries of 27 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 Şamil Efendi
- Communications official (Muhabere Memuru)
- Pasinler (Hasankale)
- Erzurum
- 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)