Official
Mehmet Şevket Efendi
Muslim (Müslüman). Born in Erzincan in 1864/65 (AH 1281). On record 1882 to 1903, 18 annual entries.
Archive reference 103_23_43
Life#
Born in Erzincan in 1864/65 (AH 1281) into the Muslim (Müslüman) community, Mehmet Şevket Efendi was the child of a district governor or lieutenant colonel (kaymakam). At about 18, in 1882/83, Mehmet Şevket began work in the Tahrirat Kalemi in Lihye, paid from the start, on 500 kuruş a month. The first annual entry, for 1882/83, places Mehmet Şevket in Al Luhayyah (Luhayye) in the correspondence office (Tahrirat Kalemi). The annual lists then follow Mehmet Şevket to four places in five years, with a rise to acting director (Müdür Vekili) in 1888/89 and to chief communications official (Başmuhabere Memuru) in 1889/90, then Idlib (İdlib) from 1891 to 1899. The last posts were in Homs (Humus) from 1899 to 1903. The farthest post, Bayt al-Faqih, lay about 2,850 km from Erzincan, and fewer than 3 per cent of the 5,162 officials with a known birthplace and place of service served as far from the birthplace.
The salary went from 500 kuruş a month in 1882/83 to 712 in 1889/90, the peak, as Başmuhabere Memuru in Al Hudaydah, when three in four paid officials earned less. The peak lasted a single year; the next list gives 500 kuruş. The last annual entry is for 1902/03. Mehmet Şevket probably has an entry in "Sicill-i Ahvâl kayıtlarına Göre Erzincanlı memurlar" by ENGİN ADAK (2008) (the name and the birthplace agree).
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.
Not on the map, as no position is recorded: stop 2 (Lihye).
Born 1864/65 (AH 1281)
1886 to 1888 (AH 1304 to 1305)
No annual entry for 1883 to 1886 (AH 1301 to 1303) before it.
475 kuruş a month; entries in 2 years
1891 to 1899 (AH 1309 to 1316)
500 to 600 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.
The numbers of the chart
| Year | Salary | Median, all officials | Median, same title | Paid less |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1882/83 | 500 | 500 | 500 | 43% |
| 1886/87 | 475 | 500 | 400 | 39% |
| 1887/88 | 475 | 500 | 400 | 38% |
| 1888/89 | 675 | 500 | 71% | |
| 1889/90 | 712 | 500 | 600 | 74% |
| 1890/91 | 500 | 500 | 600 | 43% |
| 1891/92 | 500 | 500 | 600 | 43% |
| 1892/93 | 600 | 500 | 600 | 59% |
| 1893/94 | 600 | 500 | 600 | 60% |
| 1894/95 | 600 | 500 | 600 | 60% |
| 1895/96 | 600 | 500 | 600 | 59% |
| 1896/97 | 540 | 500 | 540 | 61% |
| 1897/98 | 540 | 500 | 540 | 61% |
| 1898/99 | 540 | 500 | 540 | 61% |
| 1899/1900 | 630 | 500 | 540 | 73% |
| 1900/01 | 630 | 500 | 540 | 71% |
| 1901/02 | 630 | 500 | 540 | 72% |
| 1902/03 | 630 | 500 | 540 | 72% |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1882/83AH 1300 | Tahrirat Kalemifirst work | Lihye | 500first-salary field |
| 1882/83AH 1300 | Tahrirat Kalemi | Al Luhayyah (Luhayye) | 500 |
| No annual entry: 1883 to 1886 (AH 1301 to 1303) | |||
| 1886 to 1888AH 1304 to 1305 | Muhabere Memuru | Bajil (Bacil) | 475 |
| 1888/89AH 1306 | Müdür Vekili | Bayt al-Faqih (Beytülfakih) | 675 |
| 1889/90AH 1307 | Başmuhabere Memuru | Al Hudaydah (Hudeyde) | 712 |
| 1890/91AH 1308 | Başmuhabere Memuru | Ilgın | 500 |
| 1891 to 1899AH 1309 to 1316 | Başmuhabere Memuru | Idlib (İdlib) | 500 to 540 |
| 1899 to 1903AH 1317 to 1320 | 3. Müdür | Homs (Humus) | 630 |
Record#
Personal
- Born
- 1864/65 (AH 1281)
- Birthplace
- Erzincan
- Community
- Muslim (Müslüman)
- Nationality as recorded
- Turkish
- Father's occupation
- Kaymakam
Education
- Rüşdiye
- Rüşdiye Mektebi (7 years)rüşdiye school (middle school); place of the school as worded: Ahba
- Unpaid years (mülazemet)
- 0 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
- Arabic
- Tekellumspeaking
- Turkish
- Kitabetwriting
The glosses are cautious historical readings of the recorded words, not modern levels of proficiency.
First work
- Year
- 1882/83 (AH 1300)
- Place
- Lihye
- First job as worded
- Tahrirat Kalemi
- Age at first work (workbook field)
- 19
- First salary field (kuruş a month)
- 500
- First-job salary of the original workbook (kuruş a month)
- 500
Named in scholarly works#
No link between a work and an official has been accepted. Each entry was found by fixed rules on the name and the recorded fields, and says what it rests on.
Sicill-i Ahvâl kayıtlarına Göre Erzincanlı memurlar (ENGİN ADAK, 2008). Name as printed: MEHMET ŞEVKET EFENDİ. Printed pages 75, 76, PDF pages 92 and 93.
Probable link: same name and birthplace
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 2 officials with entries in Homs (Humus) in the same years, Mehmet Şevket Efendi had the lowest salary.
- Mehmet Celal Efendi3 shared years; highest salary 1,000 kuruş
Same job title, same years
Of the 89 officials with the title Başmuhabere Memuru in the same years, Mehmet Şevket Efendi had the 52nd highest salary.
- Esperdiyon Diloti Efendi10 shared years; highest salary 3,360 kuruş
- Mehmet Tahir Efendi10 shared years; highest salary 1,750 kuruş
- Mehmet Hilmi Efendi10 shared years; highest salary 800 kuruş
- Mehmet İzzet Efendi10 shared years; highest salary 800 kuruş
- Mehmed Şakir Efendi10 shared years; highest salary 700 kuruş
Same school
Of the 3,206 officials with Rüşdiye Mektebi among their schools, 3,200 have a recorded salary; Mehmet Şevket Efendi had the 728th highest salary of them.
- Abdullah Hamdi Efendiborn 1864/65 (AH 1281); highest salary 500 kuruş
- Abdurrahman Efendiborn 1864/65 (AH 1281); highest salary 500 kuruş
- Abdüssabur Sabri Efendiborn 1864/65 (AH 1281); highest salary 700 kuruş
- Ahmet Efendiborn 1864/65 (AH 1281); highest salary 500 kuruş
- Ahmet Ferit Efendiborn 1864/65 (AH 1281); highest salary 800 kuruş
Same birthplace
Of the 14 officials born in Erzincan, Mehmet Şevket Efendi had the 6th highest salary.
- Ahmet Hamdi Efendiborn 1861/62 (AH 1278); highest salary 500 kuruş
- Mehmet Zülfü Efendiborn 1867/68 (AH 1284); highest salary 600 kuruş
- Abdurrahman Sırrı Efendiborn 1873/74 (AH 1290); highest salary 300 kuruş
- MUSTAFA ŞERİF EFENDİborn 1874/75 (AH 1291); highest salary 400 kuruş
- Bekir Sitki Efendiborn 1880/81 (AH 1298); highest salary 250 kuruş
First annual entry in the same year
Of the 88 officials whose first annual entry is for 1882/83 (AH 1300), Mehmet Şevket Efendi had the 32nd highest salary.
- Ahmet Efendifirst entry in Beyoğlu; highest salary 500 kuruş
- Ahmet Ferit Efendifirst entry in Bandırma; highest salary 800 kuruş
- Artin Zeki Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 750 kuruş
- Besim Efendifirst entry in Haifa (Hayfa); highest salary 800 kuruş
- İbrahim Hakkı Efendifirst entry in Skopje (Üsküp); highest salary 400 kuruş
Full record
Annual entries (18)
| Year | Title | Place | Kuruş a month | Institution | Source | Archive reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1882/83AH 1300 | Tahrirat Kalemi | Al Luhayyah (Luhayye) | 500 | Other | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 103_23_43 |
| 1886/87AH 1304 | Muhabere Memuru | Bajil (Bacil) | 475 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 103_23_43 |
| 1887/88AH 1305 | Muhabere Memuru | Bajil (Bacil) | 475 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 103_23_43 |
| 1888/89AH 1306 | Müdür Vekili | Bayt al-Faqih (Beytülfakih) | 675 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 103_23_43 |
| 1889/90AH 1307 | Başmuhabere Memuru | Al Hudaydah (Hudeyde) | 712 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 103_23_43 |
| 1890/91AH 1308 | Başmuhabere Memuru | Ilgın | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 103_23_43 |
| 1891/92AH 1309 | Başmuhabere Memuru | Idlib (İdlib) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 103_23_43 |
| 1892/93AH 1310 | Başmuhabere Memuru | Idlib (İdlib) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 103_23_43 |
| 1893/94AH 1311 | Başmuhabere Memuru | Idlib (İdlib) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 103_23_43 |
| 1894/95AH 1312 | Başmuhabere Memuru | Idlib (İdlib) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 103_23_43 |
| 1895/96AH 1313 | Başmuhabere Memuru | Idlib (İdlib) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 103_23_43 |
| 1896/97AH 1314 | Başmuhabere Memuru | Idlib (İdlib) | 540 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 103_23_43 |
| 1897/98AH 1315 | Başmuhabere Memuru | Idlib (İdlib) | 540 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 103_23_43 |
| 1898/99AH 1316 | Başmuhabere Memuru | Idlib (İdlib) | 540 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 103_23_43 |
| 1899/1900AH 1317 | 3. Müdür | Homs (Humus) | 630 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 103_23_43 |
| 1900/01AH 1318 | 3. Müdür | Homs (Humus) | 630 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 103_23_43 |
| 1901/02AH 1319 | 3. Müdür | Homs (Humus) | 630 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 103_23_43 |
| 1902/03AH 1320 | 3. Müdür | Homs (Humus) | 630 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 103_23_43 |
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 (24)
| Field | Recorded value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | ||
| Name | Mehmet Şevket Efendi | Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Linked personnel workbook |
| Birth year (AH) | 1281 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Birthplace | erzincan | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Birthplace: district (kaza) | Erzincan | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Birthplace: sancak | Erzincan | 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 | Kaymakam | 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 |
| Place of the school | Ahba | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Years of schooling | 7 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Years of apprenticeship (mülazemet) | 0 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First work | ||
| First work: year (AH) | 1300 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Linked personnel workbook |
| First work: Gregorian year as stored | 1883 | Recovered annual personnel extract |
| First work: place | Lihye | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First work: district (kaza) | Luhayye | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First work: sancak | Hudeyde | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First work: province (vilayet) | yemen | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First job as worded | Tahrirat Kalemi | Linked personnel workbook; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Age at first work (workbook field) | 19 | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First salary field (kuruş a month) | 500 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First-job salary of the original workbook (kuruş a month) | 500 | Linked personnel workbook; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
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.
- 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.
- 17 annual entries of 18 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 Şevket Efendi
- Chief communications official (Başmuhabere Memuru)
- Idlib (İdlib)
- Erzincan
- 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)