Official
Mehmet Resmi Efendi
Muslim (Müslüman). Born in Damascus (Şam) in 1875/76 (AH 1292). On record 1892 to 1903, 11 annual entries.
Archive reference 0065_0216; 429
Life#
Born in Damascus (Şam) in 1875/76 (AH 1292) into the Muslim (Müslüman) community, Mehmet Resmi Efendi was the child of a policeman (polis). Mehmet Resmi had seven years of schooling, at a middle school (Rüşdiye Mektebi), and wrote Arabic as well as Turkish.
At about 16, in 1891/92, Mehmet Resmi began work in Damascus, with one unpaid year as a mülazım (apprentice) before a first salary of 180 kuruş. The first annual entry, for 1892/93, places Mehmet Resmi in Damascus, the birthplace, as a central office official (Merkez Memuru). The annual lists then follow Mehmet Resmi to Hama from 1894 to 1896, with a rise to communications official (Muhabere Memuru) in 1894/95. The last posts were in Damascus again from 1896 to 1903, first as Muhabere Memuru, from 1902/03 as an official for incoming items (Mevrude Memuru).
Pay rose from 180 kuruş a month in 1892/93 to a peak of 500 in 1902/03, as Mevrude Memuru in Damascus, when half the paid officials earned less. The last annual entry is for 1902/03.
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 1891/92 (AH 1309); 1892 to 1894 (AH 1310 to 1311)
Merkez Memuru 1892/93 (AH 1310); Mekâtib Memuru 1893/94 (AH 1311)
150 to 180 kuruş a month; entries in 2 years
1896 to 1903 (AH 1314 to 1320)
Muhabere Memuru 1896 to 1902 (AH 1314 to 1319); Mevrude Memuru 1902/03 (AH 1320)
315 to 500 kuruş a month; entries in 7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1892/93 | 180 | 500 | 600 | 9% |
| 1893/94 | 150 | 500 | 650 | 6% |
| 1894/95 | 285 | 500 | 400 | 16% |
| 1895/96 | 285 | 500 | 400 | 16% |
| 1896/97 | 315 | 500 | 400 | 25% |
| 1897/98 | 315 | 500 | 400 | 26% |
| 1898/99 | 315 | 500 | 400 | 25% |
| 1899/1900 | 315 | 500 | 400 | 25% |
| 1900/01 | 315 | 500 | 400 | 24% |
| 1901/02 | 400 | 500 | 400 | 32% |
| 1902/03 | 500 | 500 | 360 | 49% |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1891/92AH 1309 | First work | Damascus (Şam) | 180first-salary field |
| 1892/93AH 1310 | Merkez Memuru | Damascus (Şam) | 180 |
| 1893/94AH 1311 | Mekâtib Memuru | Damascus (Şam) | 150 |
| 1894 to 1896AH 1312 to 1313 | Muhabere Memuru | Hama | 285 |
| 1896 to 1902AH 1314 to 1319 | Muhabere Memuru | Damascus (Şam) | 315 to 400 |
| 1902/03AH 1320 | Mevrude Memuru | Damascus (Şam) | 500 |
Record#
Personal
- Born
- 1875/76 (AH 1292)
- Birthplace
- Damascus (Şam)
- Community
- Muslim (Müslüman)
- Nationality as recorded
- Turkish
- Father's occupation
- Polis
Education
- Rüşdiye
- Rüşdiye Mektebi (7 years)rüşdiye school (middle school)
- Unpaid years (mülazemet)
- 1 year
- 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
- Kitabetwriting
- Turkish
- Kitabetwriting
The glosses are cautious historical readings of the recorded words, not modern levels of proficiency.
First work
- Year
- 1891/92 (AH 1309)
- Place
- Damascus (Şam)
- First salary field (kuruş a month)
- 180
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 71 officials with entries in Damascus (Şam) in the same years, Mehmet Resmi Efendi had the 41st highest salary.
- Mahmut Hilmi Efendi9 shared years; highest salary 3,000 kuruş
- Ahmet Reşid Bey9 shared years; highest salary 1,200 kuruş
- Mehmet Rasih Efendi7 shared years; highest salary 1,000 kuruş
- Mehmet Sait Efendi7 shared years; highest salary 1,000 kuruş
- Ahmet Emin Efendi7 shared years; highest salary 790 kuruş
Same job title, same years
Of the 1,463 officials with the title Muhabere Memuru in the same years, Mehmet Resmi Efendi had the 678th highest salary.
- Mehmet Arif Efendi8 shared years; highest salary 3,600 kuruş
- Mehmet Hulusi Bey8 shared years; highest salary 2,600 kuruş
- Mustafa Fazıl Bey8 shared years; highest salary 1,700 kuruş
- Mehmet Sadullah Efendi8 shared years; highest salary 1,650 kuruş
- Mehmet Asım Efendi8 shared years; highest salary 1,550 kuruş
Same school
Of the 3,206 officials with Rüşdiye Mektebi among their schools, 3,200 have a recorded salary; Mehmet Resmi Efendi had the 1,253rd 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 59 officials born in Damascus (Şam), Mehmet Resmi Efendi had the 18th highest salary.
- Mehmet Hüsnü Efendiborn 1875/76 (AH 1292); highest salary 300 kuruş
- Selim Sami Efendiborn 1875/76 (AH 1292); highest salary 450 kuruş
- Abdullah Halit Efendiborn 1874/75 (AH 1291); highest salary 1,000 kuruş
- Ahmet Tevfik Efendiborn 1874/75 (AH 1291); highest salary 400 kuruş
- Ahmet Tevfik Efendiborn 1874/75 (AH 1291); highest salary 250 kuruş
The page of Damascus (Şam), with the 59 officials born there
First annual entry in the same year
Of the 189 officials whose first annual entry is for 1892/93 (AH 1310), Mehmet Resmi Efendi had the 83rd highest salary.
- Mehmet Rasih Efendifirst entry in Damascus (Şam); highest salary 1,000 kuruş
- Ahmet Refik Efendifirst entry in Alucra; highest salary 720 kuruş
- Emin Zihni Efendifirst entry in Skopje (Üsküp); highest salary 400 kuruş
- Hafız İsmail Hakkı Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 630 kuruş
- Hafız Mesut Efendifirst entry in Ankara; highest salary 600 kuruş
Full record
Annual entries (11)
| Year | Title | Place | Kuruş a month | Institution | Source | Archive reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1892/93AH 1310 | Merkez Memuru | Damascus (Şam) | 180 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0216; 429 |
| 1893/94AH 1311 | Mekâtib Memuru | Damascus (Şam) | 150 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0216; 429 |
| 1894/95AH 1312 | Muhabere Memuru | Hama | 285 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0216; 429 |
| 1895/96AH 1313 | Muhabere Memuru | Hama | 285 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0216; 429 |
| 1896/97AH 1314 | Muhabere Memuru | Damascus (Şam) | 315 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0216; 429 |
| 1897/98AH 1315 | Muhabere Memuru | Damascus (Şam) | 315 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0216; 429 |
| 1898/99AH 1316 | Muhabere Memuru | Damascus (Şam) | 315 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0216; 429 |
| 1899/1900AH 1317 | Muhabere Memuru | Damascus (Şam) | 315 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0216; 429 |
| 1900/01AH 1318 | Muhabere Memuru | Damascus (Şam) | 315 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0216; 429 |
| 1901/02AH 1319 | Muhabere Memuru | Damascus (Şam) | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0216; 429 |
| 1902/03AH 1320 | Mevrude Memuru | Damascus (Şam) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0216; 429 |
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 Resmi Efendi | Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Birth year (AH) | 1292 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Birthplace | sam | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Province of birth | suriye | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Father's occupation | polis | 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) | 1 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First work | ||
| First work: year (AH) | 1309 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First work: Gregorian year as stored | 1892 | Recovered annual personnel extract |
| First work: place | sam | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First salary field (kuruş a month) | 180 | 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.
- 11 annual entries of 11 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 Resmi Efendi
- Communications official (Muhabere Memuru)
- Damascus (Şam)
- 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)