Official
Mehmet Reşit Efendi
Muslim (Müslüman). Born in Istanbul (Dersaadet) in 1875/76 (AH 1292). On record 1893 to 1905, 12 annual entries.
Archive reference 69_190; 377
Life#
Born in Istanbul in 1875/76 (AH 1292), Mehmet Reşit Efendi came from the Muslim (Müslüman) community; the father was a tradesman (esnaf). Mehmet Reşit had seven years of schooling, at a middle school (Rüşdiye Mektebi).
At about 14, in 1888/89, Mehmet Reşit began work in Istanbul, with five unpaid years as a mülazım (apprentice) before a first salary of 50 kuruş. The first annual entry, for 1893/94, places Mehmet Reşit in Istanbul, the birthplace, as a communications official (Muhabere Memuru), where the entries run to 1903/04. The last post was in Hadımköy in 1904/05, with a rise to central office official (Merkez Memuru).
Pay rose from 50 kuruş a month in 1893/94 to a peak of 300 in 1904/05, as Merkez Memuru in Hadımköy, when 23 per cent of paid officials earned less. Over 12 years the salaries add up to 24,060 kuruş, 33 per cent of what an official on the median salary earned. The final annual entry is for 1904/05.
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 1875/76 (AH 1292); First work 1888/89 (AH 1306); 1893 to 1904 (AH 1311 to 1321)
50 to 250 kuruş a month; entries in 11 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1893/94 | 50 | 500 | 400 | 0% |
| 1894/95 | 50 | 500 | 400 | 0% |
| 1895/96 | 120 | 500 | 400 | 5% |
| 1896/97 | 145 | 500 | 400 | 6% |
| 1897/98 | 145 | 500 | 400 | 6% |
| 1898/99 | 145 | 500 | 400 | 6% |
| 1899/1900 | 200 | 500 | 400 | 7% |
| 1900/01 | 200 | 500 | 400 | 8% |
| 1901/02 | 200 | 500 | 400 | 9% |
| 1902/03 | 200 | 500 | 380 | 9% |
| 1903/04 | 250 | 475 | 350 | 14% |
| 1904/05 | 300 | 450 | 500 | 23% |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1888/89AH 1306 | First work | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 50first-salary field |
| 1893 to 1904AH 1311 to 1321 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 50 to 250 |
| 1904/05AH 1322 | Merkez Memuru | Hadımköy | 300 |
Record#
Personal
- Born
- 1875/76 (AH 1292)
- Birthplace
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- Community
- Muslim (Müslüman)
- Nationality as recorded
- Turkish
- Father's occupation
- Esnaf
Education
- Rüşdiye
- Rüşdiye Mektebi (7 years)rüşdiye school (middle school)
- Unpaid years (mülazemet)
- 5 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
- 1888/89 (AH 1306)
- Place
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- First salary field (kuruş a month)
- 50
Legal records
- Legal record note as worded
- Devamsızlık / Mumaileyhin devamsızlığı cihetiyle idareten azli taht-ı karara alınmış ise de ihtiyar ve fakire validesinin hali cidden merhamete şayan görüldüğünden işbu hali devam edecek olur ise fimâ-ba‘d telgraf hizmetinde kullanılmamak üzere bin üç yüz yirmi iki senesi Recebinin dördünde 1 Eylül sene 1320 üç yüz kuruş muvakkat maaşla ve becayiş suretiyle Hadımköy; Devamsızlık
- Years (AH) with a criminal-record mark in the annual records
- 1322
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 1,029 officials with entries in Istanbul in the same years, Mehmet Reşit Efendi had the 771st highest salary.
- Salahattin Bey11 shared years; highest salary 7,800 kuruş
- Suleyman Resat Bey11 shared years; highest salary 7,000 kuruş
- Mehmet Hayri Bey11 shared years; highest salary 5,500 kuruş
- Mehmet Asaf Bey11 shared years; highest salary 5,000 kuruş
- Melkok Efendi11 shared years; highest salary 5,000 kuruş
Same job title, same years
Of the 1,812 officials with the title Muhabere Memuru in the same years, Mehmet Reşit Efendi had the 1,471st highest salary.
- Mehmet Hulusi Bey11 shared years; highest salary 2,600 kuruş
- Mustafa Fazıl Bey11 shared years; highest salary 1,700 kuruş
- Mehmet Sadullah Efendi11 shared years; highest salary 1,650 kuruş
- Mehmet Asım Efendi11 shared years; highest salary 1,550 kuruş
- Mehmet Hurşit Efendi11 shared years; highest salary 1,500 kuruş
Same school
Of the 3,206 officials with Rüşdiye Mektebi among their schools, 3,200 have a recorded salary; Mehmet Reşit Efendi had the 2,211th highest salary of them.
- Abdülaziz Efendiborn 1875/76 (AH 1292); highest salary 380 kuruş
- Abdülkadir Ziya Efendiborn 1875/76 (AH 1292); highest salary 900 kuruş
- Ahmet Faik Efendiborn 1875/76 (AH 1292); highest salary 200 kuruş
- Ahmet Hamdiborn 1875/76 (AH 1292); highest salary 210 kuruş
- Ahmet Hurrem Efendiborn 1875/76 (AH 1292); highest salary 100 kuruş
Same birthplace
Of the 1,999 officials born in Istanbul, 1,997 have a recorded salary; Mehmet Reşit Efendi had the 1,419th highest salary of them.
- Ahmet Hamdiborn 1875/76 (AH 1292); highest salary 210 kuruş
- Ahmet Kemal Efendiborn 1875/76 (AH 1292); highest salary 480 kuruş
- Ahmet Münir Efendiborn 1875/76 (AH 1292); highest salary 250 kuruş
- Ahmet Necip Efendiborn 1875/76 (AH 1292); highest salary 1,000 kuruş
- Ahmet Sırrı Efendiborn 1875/76 (AH 1292); highest salary 800 kuruş
First annual entry in the same year
Of the 162 officials whose first annual entry is for 1893/94 (AH 1311), Mehmet Reşit Efendi had the 141st highest salary.
- Ahmet Sırrı Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 800 kuruş
- Mehmet Cemalettin Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 800 kuruş
- Mehmet Enver Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 600 kuruş
- Mehmet Fahrettin Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 600 kuruş
- Ahmet Asım Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 250 kuruş
Full record
Annual entries (12)
| Year | Title | Place | Kuruş a month | Institution | Source | Archive reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1893/94AH 1311 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 50 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 69_190; 377 |
| 1894/95AH 1312 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 50 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 69_190; 377 |
| 1895/96AH 1313 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 120 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 69_190; 377 |
| 1896/97AH 1314 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 145 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 69_190; 377 |
| 1897/98AH 1315 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 145 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 69_190; 377 |
| 1898/99AH 1316 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 145 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 69_190; 377 |
| 1899/1900AH 1317 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 200 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 69_190; 377 |
| 1900/01AH 1318 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 200 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 69_190; 377 |
| 1901/02AH 1319 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 200 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 69_190; 377 |
| 1902/03AH 1320 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 200 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 69_190; 377 |
| 1903/04AH 1321 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 250 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 69_190; 377 |
| 1904/05AH 1322 | Merkez Memuru | Hadımköy | 300 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 69_190; 377 |
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 Reşit Efendi | Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Birth year (AH) | 1292 | 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 | 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) | 5 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First work | ||
| First work: year (AH) | 1306 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First work: Gregorian year as stored | 1889 | 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) | 50 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Legal records | ||
| Legal record note as worded | Devamsızlık / Mumaileyhin devamsızlığı cihetiyle idareten azli taht-ı karara alınmış ise de ihtiyar ve fakire validesinin hali cidden merhamete şayan görüldüğünden işbu hali devam edecek olur ise fimâ-ba‘d telgraf hizmetinde kullanılmamak üzere bin üç yüz yirmi iki senesi Recebinin dördünde 1 Eylül sene 1320 üç yüz kuruş muvakkat maaşla ve becayiş suretiyle Hadımköy used on this page | Legal notes (earlier workbook copy); Legal notes (later workbook copy) |
| Legal record note as worded | Devamsızlık other value | Legal notes (earlier workbook copy); Legal notes (later workbook copy) |
| Years (AH) with a criminal-record mark in the annual records | 1322 | Later annual personnel extract |
What the sources named in this table are
- Legal notes (earlier workbook copy)
- A workbook of notes on legal records. The wording is kept as written. It may hold an accusation or an acquittal, it is not the finding of a court, and its year is the year of the record, not the date of an event.
- Legal notes (later workbook copy)
- A later copy of the workbook of notes on legal records. The same wording in both copies is one note, not two.
- Later annual personnel extract
- The detailed annual personnel file of October 2025. It marks single annual entries with a criminal-record flag and holds status words such as Vefat. For a death, the year is the year of the annual list in which the status word stands.
- 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.
- 12 annual entries of 12 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 Reşit Efendi
- Communications official (Muhabere Memuru)
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- Rüşdiye school (Rüşdiye Mektebi)
- Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf)
- Muslim (Müslüman)
- Central office official (Merkez Memuru)
- 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)