Official
Mehmet Şevki Efendi
Muslim (Müslüman). Born in Istanbul (Dersaadet) in 1862/63 (AH 1279). On record 1880 to 1911, 29 annual entries.
Archive reference 0007_0176; 349
Life#
Mehmet Şevki Efendi was born in Istanbul in 1862/63 (AH 1279) into the Muslim (Müslüman) community; the father was a tradesman (esnaf). Schooling took 12 years, at Darüşşafaka, the school for orphans in Istanbul; Mehmet Şevki also attended the telegraph school, wrote French as well as Turkish and held a qualification (a diploma, certificate, training or decoration).
At about 18, in 1880/81, Mehmet Şevki began work in Istanbul, paid from the start, on 400 kuruş a month. The annual lists begin in 1880/81, with Mehmet Şevki in the Fen Kalemi in Istanbul, the birthplace, where the entries run to 1891/92. For 1882 to 1884 the lists have no entry. Next came Sirkeci from 1892 to 1895. From 1895 to 1911 the annual entries place Mehmet Şevki again in Istanbul, first as an inspector (Müfettiş), from 1898/99 as Havalename Kalemi Muduriyeti and from 1910/11 as PT Mufettisi.
Pay rose from 400 kuruş a month in 1880/81 to a peak of 3,000 in 1910/11, as PT Mufettisi in Istanbul, when 92 per cent of paid officials earned less. In all, 29 years of salary come to 606,600 kuruş, 3.6 times what an official on the median salary earned in those years, a level reached by fewer than 4 per cent of the 3,805 officials paid for five years or more. The last annual entry is for 1910/11.
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 1862/63 (AH 1279); First work 1880/81 (AH 1298); 1880 to 1892 (AH 1298 to 1309)
Fen Kalemi 1880 to 1885 (AH 1298 to 1302); Esya Kalemi Muhendisligi 1885 to 1888 (AH 1303 to 1305); Hudut Mufettisi 1888 to 1892 (AH 1306 to 1309)
400 to 1,700 kuruş a month; entries in 10 years
No annual entry for 1882 to 1884 (AH 1300 to 1301).
1895 to 1911 (AH 1313 to 1328)
Müfettiş 1895 to 1898 (AH 1313 to 1315); Havalename Kalemi Muduriyeti 1898 to 1910 (AH 1316 to 1327); PT Mufettisi 1910/11 (AH 1328)
1,800 to 3,000 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880/81 | 400 | 500 | 500 | 34% | |
| 1881/82 | 400 | 500 | 400 | 500 | 31% |
| 1884/85 | 750 | 500 | 400 | 500 | 72% |
| 1885/86 | 750 | 500 | 500 | 73% | |
| 1886/87 | 750 | 500 | 500 | 73% | |
| 1887/88 | 1,000 | 500 | 500 | 83% | |
| 1888/89 | 1,500 | 500 | 500 | 92% | |
| 1889/90 | 1,500 | 500 | 500 | 93% | |
| 1890/91 | 1,500 | 500 | 500 | 93% | |
| 1891/92 | 1,700 | 500 | 500 | 95% | |
| 1892/93 | 1,700 | 500 | 2,400 | 500 | 95% |
| 1893/94 | 1,700 | 500 | 2,500 | 480 | 95% |
| 1894/95 | 1,700 | 500 | 1,700 | 450 | 96% |
| 1895/96 | 2,000 | 500 | 2,000 | 440 | 96% |
| 1896/97 | 1,800 | 500 | 1,800 | 425 | 96% |
| 1897/98 | 1,800 | 500 | 1,800 | 425 | 96% |
| 1898/99 | 2,000 | 500 | 440 | 97% | |
| 1899/1900 | 2,000 | 500 | 450 | 97% | |
| 1900/01 | 2,000 | 500 | 450 | 96% | |
| 1901/02 | 2,000 | 500 | 440 | 96% | |
| 1902/03 | 2,000 | 500 | 450 | 96% | |
| 1903/04 | 2,000 | 475 | 450 | 96% | |
| 1904/05 | 2,000 | 450 | 450 | 96% | |
| 1905/06 | 2,000 | 475 | 425 | 95% | |
| 1906/07 | 2,700 | 450 | 470 | 97% | |
| 1907/08 | 2,700 | 300 | 300 | 96% | |
| 1908/09 | 2,700 | 350 | 400 | 95% | |
| 1909/10 | 2,500 | 462.5 | 500 | 89% | |
| 1910/11 | 3,000 | 500 | 600 | 92% |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1880/81AH 1298 | First work | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 400first-salary field |
| 1880 to 1882AH 1298 to 1299 | Fen Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 400 |
| No annual entry: 1882 to 1884 (AH 1300 to 1301) | |||
| 1884/85AH 1302 | Fen Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 750 |
| 1885 to 1888AH 1303 to 1305 | Esya Kalemi Muhendisligi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 750 to 1,000 |
| 1888 to 1892AH 1306 to 1309 | Hudut Mufettisi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 1,500 to 1,700 |
| 1892 to 1895AH 1310 to 1312 | Müdür | Sirkeci | 1,700 |
| 1895 to 1898AH 1313 to 1315 | Müfettiş | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 2,000 to 1,800 |
| 1898 to 1910AH 1316 to 1327 | Havalename Kalemi Muduriyeti | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 2,000 to 2,500 |
| 1910/11AH 1328 | PT Mufettisi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 3,000 |
Record#
Personal
- Born
- 1862/63 (AH 1279)
- Birthplace
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- Community
- Muslim (Müslüman)
- Nationality as recorded
- Turkish
- Father's occupation
- Esnaf
Education
- Darüşşafaka
- Darüşşafaka (12 years)Darüşşafaka (school for orphans in Istanbul)
- Higher or professional
- Telgraf Mektebitelegraph school; recorded as a code
- Unpaid years (mülazemet)
- 0 years
- Preparation route (classification of the paper)
- Darüşşafaka
- Qualification (diploma, certificate, training or nişan)
- Yes
The years count all schooling up to that school, as the record gives them.
Languages
- French
- Kitabetwriting
- Turkish
- Kitabetwriting
The glosses are cautious historical readings of the recorded words, not modern levels of proficiency.
First work
- Year
- 1880/81 (AH 1298)
- Place
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- First salary field (kuruş a month)
- 400; 130
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 13 officials who held Fen Kalemi in Istanbul in the same years, Mehmet Şevki Efendi had the 6th highest salary.
- Antuvan Ramiz Efendi3 shared years; highest salary 630 kuruş
- Fahri Efendi2 shared years; highest salary 5,000 kuruş
- Osman Nuri Efendi2 shared years; highest salary 1,200 kuruş
- Mustafa İhsan Efendi1 shared year; highest salary 5,000 kuruş
- Mehmet Ali Bey1 shared year; highest salary 4,000 kuruş
Same place, same years
Of the 1,526 officials with entries in Istanbul in the same years, Mehmet Şevki Efendi had the 71st highest salary.
- Melkok Efendi26 shared years; highest salary 5,000 kuruş
- Salih Tevfik Efendi26 shared years; highest salary 2,600 kuruş
- Mustafa İsmet Efendi26 shared years; highest salary 2,000 kuruş
- Afif Efendi26 shared years; highest salary 800 kuruş
- Mehmet Şükrü Efendi25 shared years; highest salary 2,500 kuruş
Same job title, same years
Of the 14 officials with the title Fen Kalemi in the same years, Mehmet Şevki Efendi had the 6th highest salary.
- Antuvan Ramiz Efendi3 shared years; highest salary 630 kuruş
- Fahri Efendi2 shared years; highest salary 5,000 kuruş
- İbrahim Sarim Bey2 shared years; highest salary 3,000 kuruş
- Osman Nuri Efendi2 shared years; highest salary 1,200 kuruş
- Mustafa İhsan Efendi1 shared year; highest salary 5,000 kuruş
Same school
Of the 203 officials with Darüşşafaka among their schools, Mehmet Şevki Efendi had the 10th highest salary.
- İbrahim Ethem Efendiborn 1862/63 (AH 1279); highest salary 2,000 kuruş
- Mehmet Ali Beyborn 1862/63 (AH 1279); highest salary 4,000 kuruş
- Mehmet Rüştü Efendiborn 1862/63 (AH 1279); highest salary 950 kuruş
- Mustafa Nesimi Efendiborn 1862/63 (AH 1279); highest salary 3,250 kuruş
- Fahri Efendiborn 1861/62 (AH 1278); highest salary 5,000 kuruş
Same birthplace
Of the 1,999 officials born in Istanbul, 1,997 have a recorded salary; Mehmet Şevki Efendi had the 74th highest salary of them.
- Ali Galib Efendiborn 1862/63 (AH 1279); highest salary 600 kuruş
- Ali Galip Efendiborn 1862/63 (AH 1279); highest salary 2,250 kuruş
- Ali Haydar Efendiborn 1862/63 (AH 1279); highest salary 450 kuruş
- Arif Cemil Efendiborn 1862/63 (AH 1279); highest salary 400 kuruş
- Asım Efendiborn 1862/63 (AH 1279); highest salary 600 kuruş
First annual entry in the same year
Of the 81 officials whose first annual entry is for 1880/81 (AH 1298), 80 have a recorded salary; Mehmet Şevki Efendi had the 2nd highest salary of them.
- Ali Galip Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 2,250 kuruş
- Abdullah Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 500 kuruş
- Fahri Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 5,000 kuruş
- Mehmet Recai Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 200 kuruş
- Ahmet Nurettin Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 150 kuruş
All 81 officials whose first annual entry is for 1880/81 (AH 1298)
Full record
Annual entries (29)
| Year | Title | Place | Kuruş a month | Institution | Source | Archive reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880/81AH 1298 | Fen Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0007_0176; 349 |
| 1881/82AH 1299 | Fen Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0007_0176; 349 |
| 1884/85AH 1302 | Fen Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 750 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0007_0176; 349 |
| 1885/86AH 1303 | Esya Kalemi Muhendisligi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 750 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0007_0176; 349 |
| 1886/87AH 1304 | Esya Kalemi Muhendisligi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 750 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0007_0176; 349 |
| 1887/88AH 1305 | Esya Kalemi Muhendisligi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 1,000 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0007_0176; 349 |
| 1888/89AH 1306 | Hudut Mufettisi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 1,500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0007_0176; 349 |
| 1889/90AH 1307 | Hudut Mufettisi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 1,500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0007_0176; 349 |
| 1890/91AH 1308 | Hudut Mufettisi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 1,500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0007_0176; 349 |
| 1891/92AH 1309 | Hudut Mufettisi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 1,700 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0007_0176; 349 |
| 1892/93AH 1310 | Müdür | Sirkeci | 1,700 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0007_0176; 349 |
| 1893/94AH 1311 | Müdür | Sirkeci | 1,700 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0007_0176; 349 |
| 1894/95AH 1312 | Müdür | Sirkeci | 1,700 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0007_0176; 349 |
| 1895/96AH 1313 | Müfettiş | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 2,000 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0007_0176; 349 |
| 1896/97AH 1314 | Müfettiş | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 1,800 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0007_0176; 349 |
| 1897/98AH 1315 | Müfettiş | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 1,800 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0007_0176; 349 |
| 1898/99AH 1316 | Havalename Kalemi Muduriyeti | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 2,000 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0007_0176; 349 |
| 1899/1900AH 1317 | Havalename Kalemi Muduriyeti | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 2,000 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0007_0176; 349 |
| 1900/01AH 1318 | Havalename Kalemi Muduriyeti | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 2,000 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0007_0176; 349 |
| 1901/02AH 1319 | Havalename Kalemi Muduriyeti | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 2,000 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0007_0176; 349 |
| 1902/03AH 1320 | Havalename Kalemi Muduriyeti | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 2,000 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0007_0176; 349 |
| 1903/04AH 1321 | Havalename Kalemi Muduriyeti | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 2,000 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0007_0176; 349 |
| 1904/05AH 1322 | Havalename Kalemi Muduriyeti | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 2,000 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0007_0176; 349 |
| 1905/06AH 1323 | Havalename Kalemi Muduriyeti | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 2,000 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0007_0176; 349 |
| 1906/07AH 1324 | Havalename Kalemi Muduriyeti | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 2,700 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0007_0176; 349 |
| 1907/08AH 1325 | Havalename Kalemi Muduriyeti | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 2,700 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0007_0176; 349 |
| 1908/09AH 1326 | Havalename Kalemi Muduriyeti | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 2,700 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0007_0176; 349 |
| 1909/10AH 1327 | Havalename Kalemi Muduriyeti | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 2,500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0007_0176; 349 |
| 1910/11AH 1328 | PT Mufettisi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 3,000 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0007_0176; 349 |
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 (17)
| Field | Recorded value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | ||
| Name | Mehmet Şevki Efendi | Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Birth year (AH) | 1279 | 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 | Esnaf | 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 | darussafaka | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Years of schooling | 14 used on this page | Recovered annual personnel extract |
| Years of schooling | 12 other value | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Telegraph school (recorded code) | 1 | Recovered annual personnel 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) | 1298 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First work: Gregorian year as stored | 1881 | 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 used on this page | Recovered annual personnel extract |
| First salary field (kuruş a month) | 130 other value | 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.
- The sources give more than one value for a marked field. Every value is listed.
- Origin of the record: Post and Telegraph personnel records.
- 24 annual entries of 29 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 Şevki Efendi
- Havalename Kalemi Muduriyeti
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- Darüşşafaka
- Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf)
- Muslim (Müslüman)
- Hudut Mufettisi
- 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)