Official
Mahmut Efendi
Muslim (Müslüman). Born in Edirne in 1853/54 (AH 1270). On record 1877 to 1905, 17 annual entries.
Archive reference 54_184; 365
Life#
Mahmut Efendi was born in Edirne in 1853/54 (AH 1270), into the Muslim (Müslüman) community. Schooling took seven years, at a middle school (Rüşdiye Mektebi).
Mahmut began work in the telegraph service (Telgraf) in Varna in 1873/74, at about 19, with two unpaid years as a mülazım (apprentice) before a first salary of 400 kuruş. The first annual entry, for 1877/78, places Mahmut in Tuna as a communications official (Muhabere Memuru). The annual lists then follow Mahmut to Niğde and Aleppo (Halep) from 1878 to 1883, then Mevluh from 1883 to 1889. Mahmut then moved to Cide and Sefik from 1901 to 1904, with a rise to director of the first grade (1. Müdür) in 1903/04. The lists have no entry for 1890 to 1901. The last post was in Dhamar (Zemar) in 1904/05. Dhamar, about 3,450 km from Edirne, was the post farthest from the birthplace; only 20 of the 5,162 officials with a known birthplace and place of service served as far from home.
Pay rose from 400 kuruş a month in 1877/78 to a peak of 1,500 in 1903/04, as 1. Müdür in Sefik, when 94 per cent of paid officials earned less. The last 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.
Not on the map, as no position is recorded: stop 7 (Place not recorded).
Born 1853/54 (AH 1270)
1878 to 1880 (AH 1296 to 1297)
No annual entry for 1878 (AH 1295) before it.
380 to 400 kuruş a month; entries in 2 years
1880 to 1883 (AH 1298 to 1300)
380 to 500 kuruş a month; entries in 3 years
Place not recorded not on the map
1889/90 (AH 1307)
entries in 1 year
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1877/78 | 400 | 560 | 410 | 16% |
| 1878/79 | 400 | 600 | 420 | 18% |
| 1879/80 | 380 | 500 | 380 | 22% |
| 1880/81 | 380 | 500 | 400 | 21% |
| 1881/82 | 450 | 500 | 400 | 40% |
| 1882/83 | 500 | 500 | 400 | 43% |
| 1883/84 | 475 | 500 | 400 | 40% |
| 1884/85 | 475 | 500 | 400 | 39% |
| 1885/86 | 475 | 500 | 400 | 39% |
| 1886/87 | 475 | 500 | 400 | 39% |
| 1887/88 | 475 | 500 | 400 | 38% |
| 1888/89 | 475 | 500 | 400 | 39% |
| 1901/02 | 600 | 500 | 540 | 67% |
| 1902/03 | 600 | 500 | 540 | 67% |
| 1903/04 | 1,500 | 475 | 1,400 | 94% |
| 1904/05 | 1,500 | 450 | 1,400 | 94% |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1873/74AH 1290 | Telgraffirst work | Varna | 400first-salary field |
| 1877/78AH 1294 | Muhabere Memuru | Tuna | 400 |
| No annual entry: 1878 (AH 1295) | |||
| 1878 to 1880AH 1296 to 1297 | Muhabere Memuru | Niğde | 400 to 380 |
| 1880 to 1883AH 1298 to 1300 | Muhabere Memuru | Aleppo (Halep) | 380 to 500 |
| 1883 to 1889AH 1301 to 1306 | Muhabere Memuru | Mevluh | 475 |
| 1889/90AH 1307 | |||
| No annual entry: 1890 to 1901 (AH 1308 to 1318) | |||
| 1901 to 1903AH 1319 to 1320 | 3. Müdür | Cide | 600 |
| 1903/04AH 1321 | 1. Müdür | Sefik | 1,500 |
| 1904/05AH 1322 | 1. Müdür | Dhamar (Zemar) | 1,500 |
Record#
Personal
- Born
- 1853/54 (AH 1270)
- Birthplace
- Edirne
- Community
- Muslim (Müslüman)
- Nationality as recorded
- Turkish
Education
- Rüşdiye
- Rüşdiye Mektebi (7 years)rüşdiye school (middle school)
- Unpaid years (mülazemet)
- 2 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
- 1873/74 (AH 1290)
- Place
- Varna
- First job as worded
- Telgraf
- Age at first work (workbook field)
- 20
- First salary field (kuruş a month)
- 400
- First-job salary of the original workbook (kuruş a month)
- 400
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 29 officials with entries in Aleppo (Halep) in the same years, Mahmut Efendi had the 8th highest salary.
- Abdürrahim Efendi3 shared years; highest salary 2,500 kuruş
- Unnamed official (26_188; 371)3 shared years; highest salary 2,500 kuruş
- İskender Efendi3 shared years; highest salary 1,500 kuruş
- Dikran Rasim Efendi3 shared years; highest salary 1,000 kuruş
- Mehmet Necip Efendi3 shared years; highest salary 750 kuruş
Same job title, same years
Of the 1,043 officials with the title Muhabere Memuru in the same years, Mahmut Efendi had the 60th highest salary.
- Mustafa Enver Efendi12 shared years; highest salary 2,000 kuruş
- Mehmet Efendi12 shared years; highest salary 1,800 kuruş
- Ömer Nuri Efendi12 shared years; highest salary 1,500 kuruş
- Tahir Efendi12 shared years; highest salary 1,500 kuruş
- Nikola Yunani Efendi12 shared years; highest salary 1,350 kuruş
Same school
Of the 3,206 officials with Rüşdiye Mektebi among their schools, 3,200 have a recorded salary; Mahmut Efendi had the 133rd highest salary of them.
- Abdülbaki Efendiborn 1853/54 (AH 1270); highest salary 1,000 kuruş
- Ahmet Naim Efendiborn 1853/54 (AH 1270); highest salary 500 kuruş
- Ahmet Rüştü Efendiborn 1853/54 (AH 1270); highest salary 3,000 kuruş
- Ali Haydar Efendiborn 1853/54 (AH 1270); highest salary 1,500 kuruş
- Feyzullah Zihni Efendiborn 1853/54 (AH 1270); highest salary 400 kuruş
Same birthplace
Of the 66 officials born in Edirne, Mahmut Efendi had the 4th highest salary.
- Mustafa Vehbi Efendiborn 1853/54 (AH 1270); highest salary 450 kuruş
- Ovadis Kadikyanborn 1853/54 (AH 1270); highest salary 500 kuruş
- Aneklaki Mahir Efendiborn 1852/53 (AH 1269); highest salary 500 kuruş
- Hüseyin Efendiborn 1854/55 (AH 1271); highest salary 500 kuruş
- Ahmet Nazif Efendiborn 1851/52 (AH 1268); highest salary 400 kuruş
First annual entry in the same year
Of the 118 officials whose first annual entry is for 1877/78 (AH 1294), Mahmut Efendi had the 13th highest salary.
- Agop Sırrı Efendifirst entry in Afyonkarahisar (Karahisar-ı Sahib); highest salary 500 kuruş
- Mehmet Habip Efendifirst entry in Erzurum; highest salary 1,000 kuruş
- Mehmet Sadullah Efendifirst entry in Edirne; highest salary 1,650 kuruş
- Mehmet Şamil Efendifirst entry in Sofia (Sofya); highest salary 542 kuruş
- Mehmet Ziya Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 450 kuruş
Full record
Annual entries (17)
| Year | Title | Place | Kuruş a month | Institution | Source | Archive reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1877/78AH 1294 | Muhabere Memuru | Tuna | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_184; 365 |
| 1878/79AH 1296 | Muhabere Memuru | Niğde | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_184; 365 |
| 1879/80AH 1297 | Muhabere Memuru | Niğde | 380 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_184; 365 |
| 1880/81AH 1298 | Muhabere Memuru | Aleppo (Halep) | 380 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_184; 365 |
| 1881/82AH 1299 | Muhabere Memuru | Aleppo (Halep) | 450 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_184; 365 |
| 1882/83AH 1300 | Muhabere Memuru | Aleppo (Halep) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_184; 365 |
| 1883/84AH 1301 | Muhabere Memuru | Mevluh | 475 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_184; 365 |
| 1884/85AH 1302 | Muhabere Memuru | Mevluh | 475 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_184; 365 |
| 1885/86AH 1303 | Muhabere Memuru | Mevluh | 475 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_184; 365 |
| 1886/87AH 1304 | Muhabere Memuru | Mevluh | 475 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_184; 365 |
| 1887/88AH 1305 | Muhabere Memuru | Mevluh | 475 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_184; 365 |
| 1888/89AH 1306 | Muhabere Memuru | Mevluh | 475 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_184; 365 |
| 1889/90AH 1307 | Other | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 54_184; 365 | |||
| 1901/02AH 1319 | 3. Müdür | Cide | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_184; 365 |
| 1902/03AH 1320 | 3. Müdür | Cide | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_184; 365 |
| 1903/04AH 1321 | 1. Müdür | Sefik | 1,500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_184; 365 |
| 1904/05AH 1322 | 1. Müdür | Dhamar (Zemar) | 1,500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_184; 365 |
What the sources named in this table are
- Cross-ministry personnel workbook
- A personnel workbook with the annual entries in institutions other than the Post and Telegraph (justice, land registry, customs, police and others), with the same annual fields as the personnel workbook.
- 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 (22)
| Field | Recorded value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | ||
| Name | Mahmut Efendi | Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Linked personnel workbook |
| Birth year (AH) | 1270 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Birthplace | edirne | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Birthplace: district (kaza) | Edirne | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Birthplace: sancak | Edirne | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Birthplace: province (vilayet) | Edirne | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Province of birth | edirne | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Religion | Musluman | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Nationality or community | Turkish | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Schooling | ||
| School | Rusdiye Mektebi | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Years of schooling | 7 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Years of apprenticeship (mülazemet) | 2 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First work | ||
| First work: year (AH) | 1290 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Linked personnel workbook |
| First work: Gregorian year as stored | 1873 | Recovered annual personnel extract |
| First work: place | Varna | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First work: district (kaza) | Varna | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First work: sancak | Varna | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First work: province (vilayet) | tuna | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First job as worded | Telgraf | Linked personnel workbook; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Age at first work (workbook field) | 20 | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First salary field (kuruş a month) | 400 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First-job salary of the original workbook (kuruş a month) | 400 | Linked personnel workbook; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
What the sources named in this table are
- Cross-ministry personnel workbook
- A personnel workbook with the annual entries in institutions other than the Post and Telegraph (justice, land registry, customs, police and others), with the same annual fields as the personnel workbook.
- 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.
- Linked personnel workbook
- The original personnel workbook, from which selected fields on background and first work are taken.
- Origin of the record: Post and Telegraph personnel records.
- 16 annual entries of 17 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
- Mahmut Efendi
- Communications official (Muhabere Memuru)
- Mevluh
- Edirne
- 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)