Official
Mehmet Agah Efendi
Muslim (Müslüman). Born in Istanbul (Dersaadet) in 1861/62 (AH 1278). On record 1884 to 1904, 19 annual entries.
Archive reference 51_139; 273
Life#
Born in Istanbul in 1861/62 (AH 1278) into the Muslim (Müslüman) community, Mehmet Agah Efendi was the child of an army captain (yüzbaşı). Mehmet Agah had seven years of schooling, at a middle school (Rüşdiye Mektebi).
Work began in Bitola (Manastır) in 1884/85, at about 23, paid from the start, on 300 kuruş a month. The first annual entry, for 1884/85, places Mehmet Agah in Bitola as a communications official (Muhabere Memuru), where the entries run to 1888/89. Mehmet Agah then moved to Thessaloniki (Selanik) from 1889 to 1895, with a rise to official of a telegraph or post office (Merkez Memuru) in 1893/94, then Sjenica (Seniçe), Thessaloniki and Larissa (Yenişehir-i Fener) from 1895 to 1898, with a rise to director of the second grade (2. Müdür) in 1897/98. Next came a return to Thessaloniki from 1899 to 1901. The last posts were in Mitrovica in 1901/02 and Istanbul, the birthplace, from 1902 to 1904.
Pay rose from 300 kuruş a month in 1884/85 to a peak of 1,000 in 1897/98, as 2. Müdür in Larissa, when nine in ten paid officials earned less. That salary was paid for a single year, and the next list gives 675 kuruş. The final annual entry is for 1903/04.
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 1861/62 (AH 1278)
First work 1884/85 (AH 1302); 1884 to 1889 (AH 1302 to 1306)
300 to 380 kuruş a month; entries in 5 years
1889 to 1895 (AH 1307 to 1312)
Muhabere Memuru 1889 to 1893 (AH 1307 to 1310); Merkez Memuru 1893 to 1895 (AH 1311 to 1312)
400 to 700 kuruş a month; entries in 6 years
1899 to 1901 (AH 1317 to 1318)
No annual entry for 1898/99 (AH 1316) before it.
675 kuruş a month; entries in 2 years
1902 to 1904 (AH 1320 to 1321)
675 to 700 kuruş a month; entries in 2 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, and the median of the same province for the years in which at least 5 officials were paid in the province of the official's salary that year.
The numbers of the chart
| Year | Salary | Median, all officials | Median, same title | Median, same province | Paid less |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1884/85 | 300 | 500 | 400 | 550 | 11% |
| 1885/86 | 380 | 500 | 400 | 500 | 19% |
| 1886/87 | 380 | 500 | 400 | 500 | 19% |
| 1887/88 | 380 | 500 | 400 | 500 | 19% |
| 1888/89 | 380 | 500 | 400 | 500 | 21% |
| 1889/90 | 400 | 500 | 400 | 500 | 27% |
| 1890/91 | 400 | 500 | 400 | 500 | 28% |
| 1891/92 | 400 | 500 | 400 | 500 | 29% |
| 1892/93 | 400 | 500 | 400 | 500 | 29% |
| 1893/94 | 700 | 500 | 600 | 500 | 74% |
| 1894/95 | 700 | 500 | 600 | 500 | 74% |
| 1895/96 | 800 | 500 | 800 | 500 | 80% |
| 1896/97 | 675 | 500 | 575 | 472.5 | 77% |
| 1897/98 | 1,000 | 500 | 778.5 | 400 | 90% |
| 1899/1900 | 675 | 500 | 540 | 500 | 75% |
| 1900/01 | 675 | 500 | 600 | 500 | 74% |
| 1901/02 | 675 | 500 | 600 | 540 | 74% |
| 1902/03 | 675 | 500 | 600 | 450 | 74% |
| 1903/04 | 700 | 475 | 675 | 450 | 75% |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1884/85AH 1302 | First work | Bitola (Manastır) | 300first-salary field |
| 1884 to 1889AH 1302 to 1306 | Muhabere Memuru | Bitola (Manastır) | 300 to 380 |
| 1889 to 1893AH 1307 to 1310 | Muhabere Memuru | Thessaloniki (Selanik) | 400 |
| 1893 to 1895AH 1311 to 1312 | Merkez Memuru | Thessaloniki (Selanik) | 700 |
| 1895/96AH 1313 | 2. Müdür | Sjenica (Seniçe) | 800 |
| 1896/97AH 1314 | Seyyar Memur | Thessaloniki (Selanik) | 675 |
| 1897/98AH 1315 | 2. Müdür | Larissa (Yenişehir-i Fener) | 1,000 |
| No annual entry: 1898/99 (AH 1316) | |||
| 1899 to 1901AH 1317 to 1318 | Seyyar Memur | Thessaloniki (Selanik) | 675 |
| 1901/02AH 1319 | Seyyar Memur | Mitrovica (Mitroviça) | 675 |
| 1902 to 1904AH 1320 to 1321 | Seyyar Memur | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 675 to 700 |
Record#
Personal
- Born
- 1861/62 (AH 1278)
- Birthplace
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- Community
- Muslim (Müslüman)
- Nationality as recorded
- Turkish
- Father's occupation
- Yuzbasi
Education
- Rüşdiye
- Rüşdiye Mektebi (7 years)rüşdiye school (middle school)
- 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
- Turkish
- Kitabetwriting
The glosses are cautious historical readings of the recorded words, not modern levels of proficiency.
First work
- Year
- 1884/85 (AH 1302)
- Place
- Bitola (Manastır)
- First salary field (kuruş a month)
- 300
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 post (job title and place), same years
Of the 9 officials who held Muhabere Memuru in Bitola (Manastır) in the same years, Mehmet Agah Efendi had the highest salary.
- Ali Muhtar Efendi5 shared years; highest salary 600 kuruş
- Kadri Efendi4 shared years; highest salary 600 kuruş
- Selim Sabit Efendi4 shared years; highest salary 285 kuruş
- Ali Rıza Rahim Efendi3 shared years; highest salary 600 kuruş
- Ali Rıza Efendi3 shared years; highest salary 575 kuruş
Same place, same years
Of the 146 officials with entries in Thessaloniki (Selanik) in the same years, Mehmet Agah Efendi had the 20th highest salary.
- Esad Efendi9 shared years; highest salary 1,500 kuruş
- Salih Vasfi Bey9 shared years; highest salary 900 kuruş
- Ali Rıza Bey9 shared years; highest salary 800 kuruş
- Berdos [Bedros] Efendi9 shared years; highest salary 800 kuruş
- Sadık Efendi9 shared years; highest salary 800 kuruş
Same job title, same years
Of the 1,155 officials with the title Muhabere Memuru in the same years, Mehmet Agah Efendi had the 136th highest salary.
- Mehmet Arif Efendi9 shared years; highest salary 3,600 kuruş
- Halil Habib Efendi9 shared years; highest salary 3,000 kuruş
- Mehmet Hulusi Bey9 shared years; highest salary 2,600 kuruş
- Mustafa Enver Efendi9 shared years; highest salary 2,000 kuruş
- Mehmet Sezai Efendi9 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 Agah Efendi had the 289th highest salary of them.
- Ahmed Hulusi Efendiborn 1861/62 (AH 1278); highest salary 800 kuruş
- Ahmet Hamdi Efendiborn 1861/62 (AH 1278); highest salary 500 kuruş
- Ahmet Hamdi Efendiborn 1861/62 (AH 1278); highest salary 285 kuruş
- Ahmet Refik Efendiborn 1861/62 (AH 1278); highest salary 400 kuruş
- Ahmet Refik Efendiborn 1861/62 (AH 1278); highest salary 500 kuruş
Same birthplace
Of the 1,999 officials born in Istanbul, 1,997 have a recorded salary; Mehmet Agah Efendi had the 354th highest salary of them.
- Ahmet Hamdi Efendiborn 1861/62 (AH 1278); highest salary 285 kuruş
- Ahmet Refik Efendiborn 1861/62 (AH 1278); highest salary 400 kuruş
- Ahmet Tevfik Beyborn 1861/62 (AH 1278); highest salary 800 kuruş
- Ali Galip Efendiborn 1861/62 (AH 1278); highest salary 100 kuruş
- Arganyan Karekin Efendiborn 1861/62 (AH 1278); highest salary 850 kuruş
First annual entry in the same year
Of the 67 officials whose first annual entry is for 1884/85 (AH 1302), Mehmet Agah Efendi had the 9th highest salary.
- Ali Rıza Rahim Efendifirst entry in Bitola (Manastır); highest salary 600 kuruş
- Alberto Efendifirst entry in Bitola (Manastır); highest salary 285 kuruş
- Ahmet Hamdi Efendifirst entry in Bitola (Manastır); highest salary 450 kuruş
- Ali Rıza Efendifirst entry in Ohrid (Ohri); highest salary 500 kuruş
- Hakkı Efendifirst entry in Malko Tarnovo (Tırnovacık); highest salary 540 kuruş
Full record
Annual entries (19)
| Year | Title | Place | Kuruş a month | Institution | Source | Archive reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1884/85AH 1302 | Muhabere Memuru | Bitola (Manastır) | 300 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 51_139; 273 |
| 1885/86AH 1303 | Muhabere Memuru | Bitola (Manastır) | 380 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 51_139; 273 |
| 1886/87AH 1304 | Muhabere Memuru | Bitola (Manastır) | 380 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 51_139; 273 |
| 1887/88AH 1305 | Muhabere Memuru | Bitola (Manastır) | 380 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 51_139; 273 |
| 1888/89AH 1306 | Muhabere Memuru | Bitola (Manastır) | 380 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 51_139; 273 |
| 1889/90AH 1307 | Muhabere Memuru | Thessaloniki (Selanik) | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 51_139; 273 |
| 1890/91AH 1308 | Muhabere Memuru | Thessaloniki (Selanik) | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 51_139; 273 |
| 1891/92AH 1309 | Muhabere Memuru | Thessaloniki (Selanik) | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 51_139; 273 |
| 1892/93AH 1310 | Muhabere Memuru | Thessaloniki (Selanik) | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 51_139; 273 |
| 1893/94AH 1311 | Merkez Memuru | Thessaloniki (Selanik) | 700 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 51_139; 273 |
| 1894/95AH 1312 | Merkez Memuru | Thessaloniki (Selanik) | 700 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 51_139; 273 |
| 1895/96AH 1313 | 2. Müdür | Sjenica (Seniçe) | 800 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 51_139; 273 |
| 1896/97AH 1314 | Seyyar Memur | Thessaloniki (Selanik) | 675 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 51_139; 273 |
| 1897/98AH 1315 | 2. Müdür | Larissa (Yenişehir-i Fener) | 1,000 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 51_139; 273 |
| 1899/1900AH 1317 | Seyyar Memur | Thessaloniki (Selanik) | 675 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 51_139; 273 |
| 1900/01AH 1318 | Seyyar Memur | Thessaloniki (Selanik) | 675 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 51_139; 273 |
| 1901/02AH 1319 | Seyyar Memur | Mitrovica (Mitroviça) | 675 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 51_139; 273 |
| 1902/03AH 1320 | Seyyar Memur | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 675 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 51_139; 273 |
| 1903/04AH 1321 | Seyyar Memur | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 700 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 51_139; 273 |
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 Agah Efendi | Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Birth year (AH) | 1278 | 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 | Yuzbasi | 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) | 0 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First work | ||
| First work: year (AH) | 1302 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First work: Gregorian year as stored | 1885 | Recovered annual personnel extract |
| First work: place | Manastir | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First salary field (kuruş a month) | 300 | 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.
- 19 annual entries of 19 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 Agah Efendi
- Communications official (Muhabere Memuru)
- Thessaloniki (Selanik)
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- 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)