Official
Ali Sefik Efendi
Muslim (Müslüman). Born in Şanlıurfa (Urfa) in 1860/61 (AH 1277). On record 1880 to 1906, 26 annual entries.
Archive reference 0067_0241; sayfa no:479
Life#
Ali Sefik Efendi was born in Şanlıurfa (Urfa) in 1860/61 (AH 1277) into the Muslim (Müslüman) community. Schooling took four years, at a school for young children (Sıbyan Mektebi).
Ali Sefik began work in the telegraph service (Telgraf) in Adana in 1875/76, at about 15, with six unpaid years as a mülazım (apprentice) before a first salary of 240 kuruş. The annual lists begin in 1880/81, with Ali Sefik in the Asar 3. Kitabeti in Şanlıurfa, the birthplace, where the entries run to 1885/86. Ali Sefik then moved to Havran from 1886 to 1892, then Aleppo (Halep) from 1892 to 1895. The annual lists then follow Ali Sefik to Diyarbakır from 1895 to 1900, then Ergani from 1900 to 1905, with a rise to communications official (Muhabere Memuru) and to acting director (Müdür Vekili) in 1901/02. The last post was in Van in 1905/06.
Pay rose from 240 kuruş a month in 1880/81 to a peak of 680 in 1901/02, as Müdür Vekili in Ergani, when three in four paid officials earned less. Over 26 years the salaries add up to 142,620 kuruş, about what an official on the median salary earned. The final annual entry is for 1905/06.
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 1860/61 (AH 1277)
1880 to 1886 (AH 1298 to 1303)
Asar 3. Kitabeti 1880 to 1885 (AH 1298 to 1302); Asar 2. Kitabeti 1885/86 (AH 1303)
240 to 350 kuruş a month; entries in 6 years
1886 to 1892 (AH 1304 to 1309)
Muhabere Memuru 1886/87 (AH 1304); Müdür Vekili 1887 to 1892 (AH 1305 to 1309)
285 to 450 kuruş a month; entries in 6 years
1895 to 1900 (AH 1313 to 1317)
Muhabere Memuru 1895 to 1899 (AH 1313 to 1316); Başmüdür Kitabeti 1899/1900 (AH 1317)
500 kuruş a month; entries in 5 years
1900 to 1905 (AH 1318 to 1322)
Muhabere Memuru 1900/01 (AH 1318); Müdür Vekili 1901 to 1905 (AH 1319 to 1322)
540 to 680 kuruş a month; entries in 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880/81 | 240 | 500 | 8% | |
| 1881/82 | 240 | 500 | 8% | |
| 1882/83 | 240 | 500 | 6% | |
| 1883/84 | 240 | 500 | 6% | |
| 1884/85 | 240 | 500 | 5% | |
| 1885/86 | 350 | 500 | 17% | |
| 1886/87 | 285 | 500 | 400 | 9% |
| 1887/88 | 450 | 500 | 37% | |
| 1888/89 | 450 | 500 | 38% | |
| 1889/90 | 450 | 500 | 38% | |
| 1890/91 | 450 | 500 | 39% | |
| 1891/92 | 450 | 500 | 40% | |
| 1892/93 | 500 | 500 | 400 | 44% |
| 1893/94 | 500 | 500 | 400 | 46% |
| 1894/95 | 500 | 500 | 400 | 46% |
| 1895/96 | 500 | 500 | 400 | 47% |
| 1896/97 | 500 | 500 | 400 | 49% |
| 1897/98 | 500 | 500 | 400 | 49% |
| 1898/99 | 500 | 500 | 400 | 48% |
| 1899/1900 | 500 | 500 | 600 | 47% |
| 1900/01 | 540 | 500 | 400 | 59% |
| 1901/02 | 680 | 500 | 600 | 75% |
| 1902/03 | 680 | 500 | 595 | 75% |
| 1903/04 | 680 | 475 | 640 | 75% |
| 1904/05 | 680 | 450 | 74% | |
| 1905/06 | 540 | 475 | 700 | 62% |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1875/76AH 1292 | Telgraffirst work | Adana | 240first-salary field |
| 1880 to 1885AH 1298 to 1302 | Asar 3. Kitabeti | Şanlıurfa (Urfa) | 240 |
| 1885/86AH 1303 | Asar 2. Kitabeti | Şanlıurfa (Urfa) | 350 |
| 1886/87AH 1304 | Muhabere Memuru | Havran | 285 |
| 1887 to 1892AH 1305 to 1309 | Müdür Vekili | Havran | 450 |
| 1892 to 1895AH 1310 to 1312 | Muhabere Memuru | Aleppo (Halep) | 500 |
| 1895 to 1899AH 1313 to 1316 | Muhabere Memuru | Diyarbakır | 500 |
| 1899/1900AH 1317 | Başmüdür Kitabeti | Diyarbakır | 500 |
| 1900/01AH 1318 | Muhabere Memuru | Ergani | 540 |
| 1901 to 1905AH 1319 to 1322 | Müdür Vekili | Ergani | 680 |
| 1905/06AH 1323 | Başmüdür Kitabeti | Van | 540 |
Record#
Personal
- Born
- 1860/61 (AH 1277)
- Birthplace
- Şanlıurfa (Urfa)
- Community
- Muslim (Müslüman)
- Nationality as recorded
- Turkish
Education
- Primary
- Sıbyan Mektebi (4 years)school for young children (primary school)
- Unpaid years (mülazemet)
- 6 years
- Preparation route (classification of the paper)
- Low
- Qualification (diploma, certificate, training or nişan)
- NoShown as in the earlier annual personnel extract. The qualification column of the recovered extract gives yes.
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
- 1875/76 (AH 1292)
- Place
- Adana
- First job as worded
- Telgraf
- Age at first work (workbook field)
- 15
- First salary field (kuruş a month)
- 240
- First-job salary of the original workbook (kuruş a month)
- 240
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 7 officials with entries in Şanlıurfa (Urfa) in the same years, Ali Sefik Efendi had the 6th highest salary.
- İbrahim Ethem Efendi3 shared years; highest salary 2,800 kuruş
- Mustafa Sabri Efendi3 shared years; highest salary 1,500 kuruş
- Mustafa Efendi3 shared years; highest salary 400 kuruş
- Ahmet Hamdi Efendi2 shared years; highest salary 2,000 kuruş
- Mehmet Mehdi Efendi2 shared years; highest salary 1,000 kuruş
Same job title, same years
Of the 1,739 officials with the title Muhabere Memuru in the same years, Ali Sefik Efendi had the 506th highest salary.
- Mehmet Arif Efendi9 shared years; highest salary 3,600 kuruş
- Mehmet Hulusi Bey9 shared years; highest salary 2,600 kuruş
- Mustafa Fazıl Bey9 shared years; highest salary 1,700 kuruş
- Mehmet Tevfik Efendi9 shared years; highest salary 1,500 kuruş
- Mustafa Naili Efendi9 shared years; highest salary 1,500 kuruş
Same school
Of the 746 officials with Sıbyan Mektebi among their schools, 745 have a recorded salary; Ali Sefik Efendi had the 373rd highest salary of them.
- Ahmet Efendiborn 1860/61 (AH 1277); highest salary 2,500 kuruş
- Ahmet Rifat Efendiborn 1860/61 (AH 1277); highest salary 475 kuruş
- Ahmet Sadettin Efendiborn 1860/61 (AH 1277); highest salary 225 kuruş
- Ahmet Tevfik Efendiborn 1860/61 (AH 1277); highest salary 1,500 kuruş
- Aziz Efendiborn 1860/61 (AH 1277); highest salary 500 kuruş
Same birthplace
Of the 8 officials born in Şanlıurfa (Urfa), Ali Sefik Efendi had the 3rd highest salary.
- Kadri Efendiborn 1850/51 (AH 1267); highest salary 850 kuruş
- Karabet Fikri Efendiborn 1871/72 (AH 1288); highest salary 300 kuruş
- ABDULLAH VEHBİ EFENDİborn 1878 (AH 1295); highest salary 300 kuruş
- Mehmet Mazhar Efendiborn 1841/42 (AH 1257); highest salary 5,000 kuruş
- İBRAHİM HALİL EFENDİborn 1881/82 (AH 1299); highest salary 300 kuruş
The page of Şanlıurfa (Urfa), with the 8 officials born there
First annual entry in the same year
Of the 81 officials whose first annual entry is for 1880/81 (AH 1298), 80 have a recorded salary; Ali Sefik Efendi had the 31st highest salary of them.
- Ahmet Efendifirst entry in Havran; highest salary 2,500 kuruş
- Ahmet Nurettin Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 150 kuruş
- Ali İrfan Efendifirst entry in Başkale; highest salary 1,000 kuruş
- Andon İzekiyan Efendifirst entry in Izmir (İzmir); highest salary 1,000 kuruş
- Antuan Teofilidi Efendifirst entry in Vlorë (Avlonya); highest salary 600 kuruş
Full record
Annual entries (26)
| Year | Title | Place | Kuruş a month | Institution | Source | Archive reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880/81AH 1298 | Asar 3. Kitabeti | Şanlıurfa (Urfa) | 240 | Finance (Maliye) | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 0067_0241; Sayfa No:479 |
| 1881/82AH 1299 | Asar 3. Kitabeti | Şanlıurfa (Urfa) | 240 | Finance (Maliye) | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 0067_0241; Sayfa No:479 |
| 1882/83AH 1300 | Asar 3. Kitabeti | Şanlıurfa (Urfa) | 240 | Finance (Maliye) | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 0067_0241; Sayfa No:479 |
| 1883/84AH 1301 | Asar 3. Kitabeti | Şanlıurfa (Urfa) | 240 | Finance (Maliye) | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 0067_0241; Sayfa No:479 |
| 1884/85AH 1302 | Asar 3. Kitabeti | Şanlıurfa (Urfa) | 240 | Finance (Maliye) | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 0067_0241; Sayfa No:479 |
| 1885/86AH 1303 | Asar 2. Kitabeti | Şanlıurfa (Urfa) | 350 | Finance (Maliye) | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 0067_0241; Sayfa No:479 |
| 1886/87AH 1304 | Muhabere Memuru | Havran | 285 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0067_0241; Sayfa No:479 |
| 1887/88AH 1305 | Müdür Vekili | Havran | 450 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0067_0241; Sayfa No:479 |
| 1888/89AH 1306 | Müdür Vekili | Havran | 450 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0067_0241; Sayfa No:479 |
| 1889/90AH 1307 | Müdür Vekili | Havran | 450 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0067_0241; Sayfa No:479 |
| 1890/91AH 1308 | Müdür Vekili | Havran | 450 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0067_0241; Sayfa No:479 |
| 1891/92AH 1309 | Müdür Vekili | Havran | 450 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0067_0241; Sayfa No:479 |
| 1892/93AH 1310 | Muhabere Memuru | Aleppo (Halep) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0067_0241; Sayfa No:479 |
| 1893/94AH 1311 | Muhabere Memuru | Aleppo (Halep) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0067_0241; Sayfa No:479 |
| 1894/95AH 1312 | Muhabere Memuru | Aleppo (Halep) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0067_0241; Sayfa No:479 |
| 1895/96AH 1313 | Muhabere Memuru | Diyarbakır | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0067_0241; Sayfa No:479 |
| 1896/97AH 1314 | Muhabere Memuru | Diyarbakır | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0067_0241; Sayfa No:479 |
| 1897/98AH 1315 | Muhabere Memuru | Diyarbakır | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0067_0241; Sayfa No:479 |
| 1898/99AH 1316 | Muhabere Memuru | Diyarbakır | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0067_0241; Sayfa No:479 |
| 1899/1900AH 1317 | Başmüdür Kitabeti | Diyarbakır | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0067_0241; Sayfa No:479 |
| 1900/01AH 1318 | Muhabere Memuru | Ergani | 540 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0067_0241; Sayfa No:479 |
| 1901/02AH 1319 | Müdür Vekili | Ergani | 680 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0067_0241; Sayfa No:479 |
| 1902/03AH 1320 | Müdür Vekili | Ergani | 680 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0067_0241; Sayfa No:479 |
| 1903/04AH 1321 | Müdür Vekili | Ergani | 680 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0067_0241; Sayfa No:479 |
| 1904/05AH 1322 | Müdür Vekili | Ergani | 680 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0067_0241; Sayfa No:479 |
| 1905/06AH 1323 | Başmüdür Kitabeti | Van | 540 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0067_0241; Sayfa No:479 |
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 | Ali sefik Efendi | Linked personnel workbook |
| Birth year (AH) | 1277 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Birthplace | urfa | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Birthplace: district (kaza) | Urfa | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Birthplace: sancak | Urfa | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Birthplace: province (vilayet) | Halep | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Province of birth | halep | 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 | Sibyan Mektebi | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Years of schooling | 4 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Years of apprenticeship (mülazemet) | 6 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First work | ||
| First work: year (AH) | 1292 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Linked personnel workbook |
| First work: Gregorian year as stored | 1875 | Recovered annual personnel extract |
| First work: place | Adana | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First work: district (kaza) | Adana | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First work: sancak | Adana | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First work: province (vilayet) | Adana | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First job as worded | Telgraf | Linked personnel workbook; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Age at first work (workbook field) | 15 | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First salary field (kuruş a month) | 240 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First-job salary of the original workbook (kuruş a month) | 240 | 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.
How to read this record: calendar years, years without an annual entry, salaries and sources.
Subjects
- Ali Sefik Efendi
- Communications official (Muhabere Memuru)
- Şanlıurfa (Urfa)
- School for young children (Sıbyan Mektebi)
- Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf)
- Muslim (Müslüman)
- Acting director (Müdür Vekili)
- 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)