Official
Mehmet Emin Efendi
Muslim (Müslüman). Born in Istanbul (Dersaadet) in 1851/52 (AH 1268). On record 1863 to 1907, 39 annual entries.
Archive reference 54_142; 281
Life#
Mehmet Emin Efendi was born in Istanbul in 1851/52 (AH 1268) into the Muslim (Müslüman) community; the father was a clerk (ketebe). Schooling took seven years, at a middle school (Rüşdiye Mektebi).
Mehmet Emin began work in Üsküdar in 1862/63, at about 11, with one unpaid year as a mülazım (apprentice) before a first salary of 380 kuruş. Fewer than 2 per cent of the 5,128 officials whose age at first work is known began work at 11 or younger. The first annual entry, for 1863/64, places Mehmet Emin in Üsküdar as a communications official (Muhabere Memuru), where the entries run to 1867/68. Next came a return to Istanbul, the birthplace, from 1869 to 1871, then Galata and Aksaray from 1871 to 1876. Mehmet Emin then moved back to Istanbul from 1877 to 1883, with a rise to Muhabere Memuru, then Beyoğlu from 1883 to 1892. From 1892 to 1907 every annual entry places Mehmet Emin again in Istanbul, with a rise to a post in the dispatch office (Sevk Kalemi). Entries spanning 45 years are rare, reached by fewer than 1 per cent of the 5,211 officials.
The salary went from 384 kuruş a month in 1863/64 to 940 in 1905/06, the peak, in the Sevk Kalemi in Istanbul, when 85 per cent of paid officials earned less. The final annual entry is for 1906/07.
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 1851/52 (AH 1268)
First work 1862/63 (AH 1279); 1863 to 1868 (AH 1280 to 1284)
384 to 480 kuruş a month; entries in 5 years
1869 to 1871 (AH 1286 to 1287)
No annual entry for 1868/69 (AH 1285) before it.
300 kuruş a month; entries in 2 years
1873 to 1876 (AH 1290 to 1292)
No annual entry for 1872/73 (AH 1289) before it.
400 kuruş a month; entries in 3 years
1877 to 1883 (AH 1294 to 1300)
No annual entry for 1876/77 (AH 1293) before it.
400 to 500 kuruş a month; entries in 4 years
No annual entry for 1879 to 1882 (AH 1297 to 1299).
1892 to 1907 (AH 1310 to 1324)
729 to 940 kuruş a month; entries in 15 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1863/64 | 384 | 500 | 500 | 24% |
| 1864/65 | 400 | 625 | 570 | 20% |
| 1865/66 | 400 | 650 | 576 | 20% |
| 1866/67 | 400 | 600 | 480 | 18% |
| 1867/68 | 480 | 600 | 480 | 32% |
| 1869/70 | 300 | 600 | 12% | |
| 1870/71 | 300 | 600 | 12% | |
| 1871/72 | 235 | 550 | 8% | |
| 1873/74 | 400 | 500 | 24% | |
| 1874/75 | 400 | 535 | 23% | |
| 1875/76 | 400 | 530 | 23% | |
| 1877/78 | 500 | 560 | 410 | 36% |
| 1878 | 500 | 600 | 500 | 33% |
| 1878/79 | 500 | 600 | 420 | 34% |
| 1882/83 | 400 | 500 | 400 | 28% |
| 1883/84 | 400 | 500 | 400 | 27% |
| 1884/85 | 500 | 500 | 400 | 42% |
| 1885/86 | 600 | 500 | 400 | 58% |
| 1886/87 | 600 | 500 | 400 | 59% |
| 1887/88 | 600 | 500 | 400 | 58% |
| 1888/89 | 640 | 500 | 400 | 70% |
| 1889/90 | 690 | 500 | 400 | 72% |
| 1890/91 | 690 | 500 | 400 | 73% |
| 1891/92 | 690 | 500 | 400 | 73% |
| 1892/93 | 740 | 500 | 580 | 76% |
| 1893/94 | 740 | 500 | 476.5 | 76% |
| 1894/95 | 760 | 500 | 450 | 79% |
| 1895/96 | 810 | 500 | 400 | 84% |
| 1896/97 | 729 | 500 | 425 | 84% |
| 1897/98 | 750 | 500 | 430 | 85% |
| 1898/99 | 790 | 500 | 440 | 85% |
| 1899/1900 | 900 | 500 | 440 | 85% |
| 1900/01 | 900 | 500 | 452.5 | 85% |
| 1901/02 | 900 | 500 | 445 | 85% |
| 1902/03 | 920 | 500 | 470 | 87% |
| 1903/04 | 920 | 475 | 490 | 86% |
| 1904/05 | 920 | 450 | 500 | 86% |
| 1905/06 | 940 | 475 | 507.5 | 85% |
| 1906/07 | 940 | 450 | 550 | 84% |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1862/63AH 1279 | First work | Üsküdar | 380first-salary field |
| 1863 to 1868AH 1280 to 1284 | Muhabere Memuru | Üsküdar | 384 to 480 |
| No annual entry: 1868/69 (AH 1285) | |||
| 1869 to 1871AH 1286 to 1287 | Mekâtib Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 300 |
| 1871/72AH 1288 | Mekâtib Memuru | Galata | 235 |
| No annual entry: 1872/73 (AH 1289) | |||
| 1873 to 1876AH 1290 to 1292 | Mekâtib Memuru | Aksaray | 400 |
| No annual entry: 1876/77 (AH 1293) | |||
| 1877 to 1879AH 1294 to 1296 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 500 |
| No annual entry: 1879 to 1882 (AH 1297 to 1299) | |||
| 1882/83AH 1300 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 400 |
| 1883 to 1892AH 1301 to 1309 | Muhabere Memuru | Beyoğlu | 400 to 690 |
| 1892 to 1907AH 1310 to 1324 | Sevk Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 740 to 940 |
Record#
Personal
- Born
- 1851/52 (AH 1268)
- Birthplace
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- Community
- Muslim (Müslüman)
- Nationality as recorded
- Turkish
- Father's occupation
- Ketebe
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
- Turkish
- Kitabetwriting
The glosses are cautious historical readings of the recorded words, not modern levels of proficiency.
First work
- Year
- 1862/63 (AH 1279)
- Place
- Üsküdar
- First salary field (kuruş a month)
- 380
Legal records
- Legal record note as worded
- Devamsızlık / memuriyetine adem-i devamı cihetle azil edilmiş; Devamsızlık
- Years (AH) with a criminal-record mark in the annual records
- 1290; 1291; 1292; 1294; 1295; 1296; 1300; 1301; 1302; 1303; 1304; 1305; 1306; 1307; 1308; 1309; 1311; 1312; 1313; 1314; 1315; 1316; 1317; 1318; 1319; 1320; 1321; 1322; 1323; 1324
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 1,420 officials with entries in Istanbul in the same years, Mehmet Emin Efendi had the 431st highest salary.
- Suleyman Resat Bey21 shared years; highest salary 7,000 kuruş
- Mehmet Hayri Bey21 shared years; highest salary 5,500 kuruş
- Melkok Efendi21 shared years; highest salary 5,000 kuruş
- Tevfik Bey21 shared years; highest salary 3,500 kuruş
- Unnamed official (0007_0144; 285)21 shared years; highest salary 2,750 kuruş
Same job title, same years
Of the 1,338 officials with the title Muhabere Memuru in the same years, Mehmet Emin Efendi had the 363rd highest salary.
- Nikola Yunani Efendi18 shared years; highest salary 1,350 kuruş
- Şarl Laze Efendi18 shared years; highest salary 1,250 kuruş
- Unnamed official (23_38; 73)18 shared years; highest salary 800 kuruş
- Hacı Mehmet Emin Efendi18 shared years; highest salary 720 kuruş
- Ohannes Efendi18 shared years; highest salary 600 kuruş
Same school
Of the 3,206 officials with Rüşdiye Mektebi among their schools, 3,200 have a recorded salary; Mehmet Emin Efendi had the 419th highest salary of them.
- Ahmet Cevdet Efendiborn 1851/52 (AH 1268); highest salary 450 kuruş
- Ahmet Hilmi Efendiborn 1851/52 (AH 1268); highest salary 800 kuruş
- Ahmet Kâşif Efendiborn 1851/52 (AH 1268); highest salary 600 kuruş
- Ahmet Nazif Efendiborn 1851/52 (AH 1268); highest salary 400 kuruş
- Ahmet Safvet Efendiborn 1851/52 (AH 1268); highest salary 700 kuruş
Same birthplace
Of the 1,999 officials born in Istanbul, 1,997 have a recorded salary; Mehmet Emin Efendi had the 456th highest salary of them.
- Ahmet Hilmi Efendiborn 1851/52 (AH 1268); highest salary 800 kuruş
- Ahmet Rıfat Efendiborn 1851/52 (AH 1268); highest salary 650 kuruş
- Ahmet Safvet Efendiborn 1851/52 (AH 1268); highest salary 700 kuruş
- Ali Beyborn 1851/52 (AH 1268); highest salary 2,000 kuruş
- Bahcivan Oglu Kalparki Efendiborn 1851/52 (AH 1268); highest salary 2,500 kuruş
First annual entry in the same year
Of the 43 officials whose first annual entry is for 1863/64 (AH 1280), Mehmet Emin Efendi had the 28th highest salary.
- Ahmet Rıfat Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 650 kuruş
- Ahmed Sadık Efendifirst entry in Turhal; highest salary 1,200 kuruş
- Nikola Yunani Efendifirst entry in Shkodër (İşkodra); highest salary 1,350 kuruş
- Melkok Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 5,000 kuruş
- Mustafa Hamdi Beyfirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 1,050 kuruş
Full record
Annual entries (39)
| Year | Title | Place | Kuruş a month | Institution | Source | Archive reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1863/64AH 1280 | Muhabere Memuru | Üsküdar | 384 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_142; 281 |
| 1864/65AH 1281 | Muhabere Memuru | Üsküdar | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_142; 281 |
| 1865/66AH 1282 | Muhabere Memuru | Üsküdar | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_142; 281 |
| 1866/67AH 1283 | Muhabere Memuru | Üsküdar | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_142; 281 |
| 1867/68AH 1284 | Muhabere Memuru | Üsküdar | 480 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_142; 281 |
| 1869/70AH 1286 | Mekâtib Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 300 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_142; 281 |
| 1870/71AH 1287 | Mekâtib Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 300 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_142; 281 |
| 1871/72AH 1288 | Mekâtib Memuru | Galata | 235 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_142; 281 |
| 1873/74AH 1290 | Mekâtib Memuru | Aksaray | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_142; 281 |
| 1874/75AH 1291 | Mekâtib Memuru | Aksaray | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_142; 281 |
| 1875/76AH 1292 | Mekâtib Memuru | Aksaray | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_142; 281 |
| 1877/78AH 1294 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_142; 281 |
| 1878AH 1295 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_142; 281 |
| 1878/79AH 1296 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_142; 281 |
| 1882/83AH 1300 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_142; 281 |
| 1883/84AH 1301 | Muhabere Memuru | Beyoğlu | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_142; 281 |
| 1884/85AH 1302 | Muhabere Memuru | Beyoğlu | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_142; 281 |
| 1885/86AH 1303 | Muhabere Memuru | Beyoğlu | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_142; 281 |
| 1886/87AH 1304 | Muhabere Memuru | Beyoğlu | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_142; 281 |
| 1887/88AH 1305 | Muhabere Memuru | Beyoğlu | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_142; 281 |
| 1888/89AH 1306 | Muhabere Memuru | Beyoğlu | 640 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_142; 281 |
| 1889/90AH 1307 | Muhabere Memuru | Beyoğlu | 690 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_142; 281 |
| 1890/91AH 1308 | Muhabere Memuru | Beyoğlu | 690 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_142; 281 |
| 1891/92AH 1309 | Muhabere Memuru | Beyoğlu | 690 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_142; 281 |
| 1892/93AH 1310 | Sevk Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 740 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_142; 281 |
| 1893/94AH 1311 | Sevk Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 740 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_142; 281 |
| 1894/95AH 1312 | Sevk Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 760 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_142; 281 |
| 1895/96AH 1313 | Sevk Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 810 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_142; 281 |
| 1896/97AH 1314 | Sevk Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 729 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_142; 281 |
| 1897/98AH 1315 | Sevk Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 750 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_142; 281 |
| 1898/99AH 1316 | Sevk Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 790 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_142; 281 |
| 1899/1900AH 1317 | Sevk Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 900 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_142; 281 |
| 1900/01AH 1318 | Sevk Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 900 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_142; 281 |
| 1901/02AH 1319 | Sevk Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 900 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_142; 281 |
| 1902/03AH 1320 | Sevk Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 920 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_142; 281 |
| 1903/04AH 1321 | Sevk Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 920 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_142; 281 |
| 1904/05AH 1322 | Sevk Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 920 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_142; 281 |
| 1905/06AH 1323 | Sevk Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 940 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_142; 281 |
| 1906/07AH 1324 | Sevk Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 940 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_142; 281 |
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 Emin Efendi | Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Birth year (AH) | 1268 | 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 | ketebe | 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) | 1279 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First work: Gregorian year as stored | 1862 | Recovered annual personnel extract |
| First work: place | uskudar | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First salary field (kuruş a month) | 380 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Legal records | ||
| Legal record note as worded | Devamsızlık / memuriyetine adem-i devamı cihetle azil edilmiş 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 | 1290; 1291; 1292; 1294; 1295; 1296; 1300; 1301; 1302; 1303; 1304; 1305; 1306; 1307; 1308; 1309; 1311; 1312; 1313; 1314; 1315; 1316; 1317; 1318; 1319; 1320; 1321; 1322; 1323; 1324 | 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.
- 32 annual entries of 39 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 Emin Efendi
- Communications official (Muhabere Memuru)
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- Rüşdiye school (Rüşdiye Mektebi)
- Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf)
- Muslim (Müslüman)
- Dispatch office (Sevk Kalemi)
- 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)