Official
Mehmet Refet Efendi
Muslim (Müslüman). Born in Istanbul (Dersaadet) in 1865/66 (AH 1282). On record 1884 to 1905, 21 annual entries.
Archive reference 0065_0007; 11
Life#
Born in Istanbul in 1865/66 (AH 1282), Mehmet Refet Efendi came from the Muslim (Müslüman) community; the father's occupation was "Evkaf Muhasebecisi". Schooling took seven years, at a middle school (Rüşdiye Mektebi); Mehmet Refet also wrote French as well as Turkish and held a qualification (a diploma, certificate, training or decoration).
At about 17, in 1882/83, Mehmet Refet began work in Istanbul, with two unpaid years as a mülazım (apprentice) before a first salary of 80 kuruş. Every annual entry from 1884/85 to 1904/05 places Mehmet Refet in Istanbul, the birthplace, first in the statistics office (İstatistik Kalemi), from 1894/95 as a chief clerkship (Başkitabet) and from 1896/97 in the accounts office (Muhasebe Kalemi).
Pay rose from 80 kuruş a month in 1884/85 to a peak of 880 in 1903/04, in the Muhasebe Kalemi in Istanbul, when 84 per cent of paid officials earned less. Over 21 years the salaries add up to 126,780 kuruş, about what an official on the median salary earned. The final annual entry is for 1904/05.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1884/85 | 80 | 500 | 0% | |
| 1885/86 | 80 | 500 | 0% | |
| 1886/87 | 200 | 500 | 3% | |
| 1887/88 | 400 | 500 | 300 | 27% |
| 1888/89 | 400 | 500 | 300 | 27% |
| 1889/90 | 400 | 500 | 400 | 27% |
| 1890/91 | 400 | 500 | 400 | 28% |
| 1891/92 | 400 | 500 | 400 | 29% |
| 1892/93 | 400 | 500 | 400 | 29% |
| 1893/94 | 400 | 500 | 400 | 30% |
| 1894/95 | 450 | 500 | 43% | |
| 1895/96 | 550 | 500 | 58% | |
| 1896/97 | 495 | 500 | 245 | 48% |
| 1897/98 | 495 | 500 | 275 | 48% |
| 1898/99 | 555 | 500 | 262.5 | 70% |
| 1899/1900 | 700 | 500 | 300 | 77% |
| 1900/01 | 800 | 500 | 300 | 81% |
| 1901/02 | 800 | 500 | 340 | 81% |
| 1902/03 | 800 | 500 | 350 | 81% |
| 1903/04 | 880 | 475 | 350 | 84% |
| 1904/05 | 880 | 450 | 375 | 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1882/83AH 1300 | First work | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 80first-salary field |
| 1884 to 1894AH 1302 to 1311 | İstatistik Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 80 to 400 |
| 1894 to 1896AH 1312 to 1313 | Başkitabet | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 450 to 550 |
| 1896 to 1905AH 1314 to 1322 | Muhasebe Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 495 to 880 |
Record#
Personal
- Born
- 1865/66 (AH 1282)
- Birthplace
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- Community
- Muslim (Müslüman)
- Nationality as recorded
- Turkish
- Father's occupation
- Evkaf Muhasebecisi
Education
- Rüşdiye
- Rüşdiye Mektebi (7 years)rüşdiye school (middle school)
- Unpaid years (mülazemet)
- 2 years
- Preparation route (classification of the paper)
- Middle
- 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
- 1882/83 (AH 1300)
- Place
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- First salary field (kuruş a month)
- 80
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 1,254 officials with entries in Istanbul in the same years, Mehmet Refet Efendi had the 383rd highest salary.
- Salahattin Bey21 shared years; highest salary 7,800 kuruş
- 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
- Mehmet Salim Bey21 shared years; highest salary 3,000 kuruş
Same job title, same years
Of the 13 officials with the title İstatistik Kalemi in the same years, Mehmet Refet Efendi had the 2nd highest salary.
- Unnamed official (0006_0294; 583)10 shared years; highest salary 720 kuruş
- Osman Faiz Efendi7 shared years; highest salary 650 kuruş
- Ovadis Kadikyan7 shared years; highest salary 500 kuruş
- Mehmet Ali Bey4 shared years; highest salary 750 kuruş
- Vensan Efendi4 shared years; highest salary 150 kuruş
Same school
Of the 3,206 officials with Rüşdiye Mektebi among their schools, 3,200 have a recorded salary; Mehmet Refet Efendi had the 460th highest salary of them.
- Abdulkadir Efendiborn 1865/66 (AH 1282); highest salary 750 kuruş
- Abdullah Sıtkı Efendiborn 1865/66 (AH 1282); highest salary 500 kuruş
- Abdurrahman Faik Efendiborn 1865/66 (AH 1282); highest salary 300 kuruş
- Abdurrahman Feyzi Efendiborn 1865/66 (AH 1282); highest salary 720 kuruş
- Ahmet Şefik Efendiborn 1865/66 (AH 1282); highest salary 600 kuruş
Same birthplace
Of the 1,999 officials born in Istanbul, 1,997 have a recorded salary; Mehmet Refet Efendi had the 486th highest salary of them.
- Abdulkadir Efendiborn 1865/66 (AH 1282); highest salary 750 kuruş
- Ahmet Şevki Efendiborn 1865/66 (AH 1282); highest salary 400 kuruş
- Ali Naci Efendiborn 1865/66 (AH 1282); highest salary 200 kuruş
- Ali Rıza Efendiborn 1865/66 (AH 1282); highest salary 1,700 kuruş
- Erdetsi Ohanyan Efendiborn 1865/66 (AH 1282); highest salary 600 kuruş
First annual entry in the same year
Of the 67 officials whose first annual entry is for 1884/85 (AH 1302), Mehmet Refet Efendi had the 14th highest salary.
- Mustafa Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 1,200 kuruş
- Ali Bedri Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 540 kuruş
- Mehmet Emin Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 550 kuruş
- Hafiz Mehmet Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 300 kuruş
- Mehmet Arif Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 2,000 kuruş
Full record
Annual entries (21)
| Year | Title | Place | Kuruş a month | Institution | Source | Archive reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1884/85AH 1302 | İstatistik Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 80 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0007; 11 |
| 1885/86AH 1303 | İstatistik Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 80 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0007; 11 |
| 1886/87AH 1304 | İstatistik Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 200 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0007; 11 |
| 1887/88AH 1305 | İstatistik Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0007; 11 |
| 1888/89AH 1306 | İstatistik Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0007; 11 |
| 1889/90AH 1307 | İstatistik Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0007; 11 |
| 1890/91AH 1308 | İstatistik Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0007; 11 |
| 1891/92AH 1309 | İstatistik Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0007; 11 |
| 1892/93AH 1310 | İstatistik Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0007; 11 |
| 1893/94AH 1311 | İstatistik Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0007; 11 |
| 1894/95AH 1312 | Başkitabet | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 450 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0007; 11 |
| 1895/96AH 1313 | Başkitabet | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 550 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0007; 11 |
| 1896/97AH 1314 | Muhasebe Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 495 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0007; 11 |
| 1897/98AH 1315 | Muhasebe Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 495 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0007; 11 |
| 1898/99AH 1316 | Muhasebe Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 555 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0007; 11 |
| 1899/1900AH 1317 | Muhasebe Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 700 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0007; 11 |
| 1900/01AH 1318 | Muhasebe Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 800 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0007; 11 |
| 1901/02AH 1319 | Muhasebe Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 800 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0007; 11 |
| 1902/03AH 1320 | Muhasebe Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 800 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0007; 11 |
| 1903/04AH 1321 | Muhasebe Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 880 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0007; 11 |
| 1904/05AH 1322 | Muhasebe Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 880 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0007; 11 |
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 Refet Efendi | Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Birth year (AH) | 1282 | 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 | Evkaf Muhasebecisi | 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) | 2 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First work | ||
| First work: year (AH) | 1300 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First work: Gregorian year as stored | 1883 | 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) | 80 | 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.
- 21 annual entries of 21 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 Refet Efendi
- Statistics office (İstatistik Kalemi)
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- Rüşdiye school (Rüşdiye Mektebi)
- Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf)
- Muslim (Müslüman)
- Accounts office (Muhasebe 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)