Official
Mehmet Resmi Efendi
Muslim (Müslüman). Born in Larissa (Yenişehir-i Fener) in 1858/59 (AH 1275). On record 1880 to 1904, 20 annual entries.
Archive reference 0088_0232: 459
Life#
Born in Larissa (Yenişehir-i Fener) in 1858/59 (AH 1275) into the Muslim (Müslüman) community, Mehmet Resmi Efendi was the child of a tax farmer (mültezim). Mehmet Resmi had four years of schooling, at a school for young children (Sıbyan Mektebi), and wrote Turkish and spoke Greek (Rum).
Work began in Trikala (Tırhala) in 1874/75, at about 16, with seven unpaid years as a mülazım (apprentice) before a first salary of 320 kuruş. Fewer than 6 per cent of the 5,142 officials with a known apprenticeship worked unpaid for seven years or longer. The annual lists begin in 1880/81, with Mehmet Resmi in the Asar 3. Kitabeti in Servia (Serfiçe). Mehmet Resmi then moved to Veles (Köprülü), Thessaloniki (Selanik) and Kavala from 1882 to 1892, with a rise to communications official (Muhabere Memuru) in 1891/92, then Bitola (Manastır) from 1892 to 1901, with a rise to travelling postal official (Seyyar Memur). The last posts were in Istanbul in 1901/02 and Svilengrad (Cisr-i Mustafapaşa) from 1902 to 1904.
Pay rose from 320 kuruş a month in 1880/81 to a peak of 750 in 1892/93, as Seyyar Memur in Bitola, when 76 per cent of paid officials earned less. In all, 20 years of salary come to 123,360 kuruş, about what an official on the median salary earned in those years. The last 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 1858/59 (AH 1275)
1882 to 1884 (AH 1300 to 1301)
No annual entry for 1881/82 (AH 1299) before it.
450 kuruş a month; entries in 2 years
1886 to 1890 (AH 1304 to 1307)
No annual entry for 1884 to 1886 (AH 1302 to 1303) before it.
Hademe 1886 to 1890 (AH 1304 to 1307); Muhabere Memuru 1887 to 1889 (AH 1305 to 1306)
150 kuruş a month; entries in 4 years
1891/92 (AH 1309)
No annual entry for 1890/91 (AH 1308) before it.
285 kuruş a month; entries in 1 year
1892 to 1901 (AH 1310 to 1318)
675 to 750 kuruş a month; entries in 9 years
Svilengrad (Cisr-i Mustafapaşa)
1902 to 1904 (AH 1320 to 1321)
600 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.
The numbers of the chart
| Year | Salary | Median, all officials | Median, same title | Paid less |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880/81 | 320 | 500 | 18% | |
| 1882/83 | 450 | 500 | 37% | |
| 1883/84 | 450 | 500 | 38% | |
| 1886/87 | 150 | 500 | 1% | |
| 1887/88 | 150 | 500 | 400 | 2% |
| 1888/89 | 150 | 500 | 400 | 2% |
| 1889/90 | 150 | 500 | 5% | |
| 1891/92 | 285 | 500 | 400 | 15% |
| 1892/93 | 750 | 500 | 600 | 76% |
| 1893/94 | 750 | 500 | 600 | 76% |
| 1894/95 | 750 | 500 | 600 | 76% |
| 1895/96 | 750 | 500 | 675 | 76% |
| 1896/97 | 675 | 500 | 575 | 77% |
| 1897/98 | 675 | 500 | 600 | 77% |
| 1898/99 | 675 | 500 | 575 | 76% |
| 1899/1900 | 675 | 500 | 540 | 75% |
| 1900/01 | 675 | 500 | 600 | 74% |
| 1901/02 | 500 | 500 | 600 | 49% |
| 1902/03 | 600 | 500 | 600 | 67% |
| 1903/04 | 700 | 475 | 675 | 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1874/75AH 1291 | Asar Kitabetifirst work | Trikala (Tırhala) | 320first-salary field |
| 1880/81AH 1298 | Asar 3. Kitabeti | Servia (Serfiçe) | 320 |
| No annual entry: 1881/82 (AH 1299) | |||
| 1882 to 1884AH 1300 to 1301 | Asar 2. Kitabeti | Veles (Köprülü) | 450 |
| No annual entry: 1884 to 1886 (AH 1302 to 1303) | |||
| 1886/87AH 1304 | Hademe | Thessaloniki (Selanik) | 150 |
| 1887 to 1889AH 1305 to 1306 | Muhabere Memuru | Thessaloniki (Selanik) | 150 |
| 1889/90AH 1307 | Hademe | Thessaloniki (Selanik) | 150 |
| No annual entry: 1890/91 (AH 1308) | |||
| 1891/92AH 1309 | Muhabere Memuru | Kavala | 285 |
| 1892 to 1901AH 1310 to 1318 | Seyyar Memur | Bitola (Manastır) | 750 to 675 |
| 1901/02AH 1319 | Seyyar Memur | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 500 |
| 1902 to 1904AH 1320 to 1321 | Seyyar Memur | Svilengrad (Cisr-i Mustafapaşa) | 600 to 700 |
Record#
Personal
- Born
- 1858/59 (AH 1275)
- Birthplace
- Larissa (Yenişehir-i Fener)
- Community
- Muslim (Müslüman)
- Nationality as recorded
- Turkish
- Father's occupation
- mültezim
Education
- Primary
- Sıbyan Mektebi (4 years)school for young children (primary school)
- Unpaid years (mülazemet)
- 7 years
- Preparation route (classification of the paper)
- Low
- Qualification (diploma, certificate, training or nişan)
- NoShown as in the flag of the paper. The qualification column of the recovered extract gives yes.
The years count all schooling up to that school, as the record gives them.
Languages
- Greek (Rum)
- Tekellumspeaking. Rum is the word of the records for Greek as spoken by the Orthodox Christians of the empire. It is kept apart from the column Greek, which the records also have
- Turkish
- Kitabetwriting
The glosses are cautious historical readings of the recorded words, not modern levels of proficiency.
First work
- Year
- 1874/75 (AH 1291)
- Place
- Trikala (Tırhala)
- First job as worded
- Asar Kitabeti
- Age at first work (workbook field)
- 16
- First salary field (kuruş a month)
- 320
- First-job salary of the original workbook (kuruş a month)
- 320
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 35 officials with entries in Bitola (Manastır) in the same years, Mehmet Resmi Efendi had the 12th highest salary.
- Eşref Efendi9 shared years; highest salary 400 kuruş
- Mehmet Niyazi Efendi8 shared years; highest salary 1,650 kuruş
- Mehmet Nuri Efendi8 shared years; highest salary 675 kuruş
- Ali Rıza Efendi8 shared years; highest salary 600 kuruş
- Ahmet Mithat Efendi7 shared years; highest salary 300 kuruş
Same job title, same years
Of the 181 officials with the title Seyyar Memur in the same years, Mehmet Resmi Efendi had the 58th highest salary.
- Mehmet İzzet Efendi12 shared years; highest salary 1,000 kuruş
- Osman Nuri Efendi12 shared years; highest salary 850 kuruş
- Ahmet Fazıl Bey12 shared years; highest salary 800 kuruş
- Ahmet Sami Efendi12 shared years; highest salary 800 kuruş
- Mehmet Sabri Efendi12 shared years; highest salary 800 kuruş
Same school
Of the 746 officials with Sıbyan Mektebi among their schools, 745 have a recorded salary; Mehmet Resmi Efendi had the 331st highest salary of them.
- Abdullah Hilmi Efendiborn 1858/59 (AH 1275); highest salary 300 kuruş
- Adil Efendiborn 1858/59 (AH 1275); highest salary 400 kuruş
- Ahmet Hamdi Efendiborn 1858/59 (AH 1275); highest salary 500 kuruş
- Ali Rıza Efendiborn 1858/59 (AH 1275); highest salary 600 kuruş
- Hafiz Mehmet Galib Efendiborn 1858/59 (AH 1275); highest salary 500 kuruş
Same birthplace
Of the 24 officials born in Larissa (Yenişehir-i Fener), Mehmet Resmi Efendi had the 7th highest salary.
- Recep Kenan Efendiborn 1858/59 (AH 1275); highest salary 550 kuruş
- Ömer Zihni Efendiborn 1856/57 (AH 1273); highest salary 1,080 kuruş
- Tahir Efendiborn 1855/56 (AH 1272); highest salary 700 kuruş
- Hüseyin Avni Efendiborn 1854/55 (AH 1271); highest salary 380 kuruş
- Mustafa Bahaettin Efendiborn 1864/65 (AH 1281); highest salary 300 kuruş
The page of Larissa (Yenişehir-i Fener), with the 24 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; Mehmet Resmi Efendi had the 26th highest salary of them.
- Ali Rıza Beyfirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 400 kuruş
- Ali Vasfi Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 120 kuruş
- Corci Asaf Efendifirst entry in Gaza (Gazze); highest salary 1,600 kuruş
- Edhem Efendifirst entry in Akçakoca (Akçaşehir); highest salary 475 kuruş
- İbrahim Hilmi Efendifirst entry in Basrul harir; highest salary 500 kuruş
Full record
Annual entries (20)
| Year | Title | Place | Kuruş a month | Institution | Source | Archive reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880/81AH 1298 | Asar 3. Kitabeti | Servia (Serfiçe) | 320 | Finance (Maliye) | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 0088_0232: 459 |
| 1882/83AH 1300 | Asar 2. Kitabeti | Veles (Köprülü) | 450 | Finance (Maliye) | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 0088_0232: 459 |
| 1883/84AH 1301 | Asar 2. Kitabeti | Veles (Köprülü) | 450 | Finance (Maliye) | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 0088_0232: 459 |
| 1886/87AH 1304 | Hademe | Thessaloniki (Selanik) | 150 | Other | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 0088_0232: 459 |
| 1887/88AH 1305 | Muhabere Memuru | Thessaloniki (Selanik) | 150 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0088_0232: 459 |
| 1888/89AH 1306 | Muhabere Memuru | Thessaloniki (Selanik) | 150 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0088_0232: 459 |
| 1889/90AH 1307 | Hademe | Thessaloniki (Selanik) | 150 | Other | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 0088_0232: 459 |
| 1891/92AH 1309 | Muhabere Memuru | Kavala | 285 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0088_0232: 459 |
| 1892/93AH 1310 | Seyyar Memur | Bitola (Manastır) | 750 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0088_0232: 459 |
| 1893/94AH 1311 | Seyyar Memur | Bitola (Manastır) | 750 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0088_0232: 459 |
| 1894/95AH 1312 | Seyyar Memur | Bitola (Manastır) | 750 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0088_0232: 459 |
| 1895/96AH 1313 | Seyyar Memur | Bitola (Manastır) | 750 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0088_0232: 459 |
| 1896/97AH 1314 | Seyyar Memur | Bitola (Manastır) | 675 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0088_0232: 459 |
| 1897/98AH 1315 | Seyyar Memur | Bitola (Manastır) | 675 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0088_0232: 459 |
| 1898/99AH 1316 | Seyyar Memur | Bitola (Manastır) | 675 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0088_0232: 459 |
| 1899/1900AH 1317 | Seyyar Memur | Bitola (Manastır) | 675 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0088_0232: 459 |
| 1900/01AH 1318 | Seyyar Memur | Bitola (Manastır) | 675 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0088_0232: 459 |
| 1901/02AH 1319 | Seyyar Memur | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0088_0232: 459 |
| 1902/03AH 1320 | Seyyar Memur | Svilengrad (Cisr-i Mustafapaşa) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0088_0232: 459 |
| 1903/04AH 1321 | Seyyar Memur | Svilengrad (Cisr-i Mustafapaşa) | 700 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0088_0232: 459 |
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 (24)
| Field | Recorded value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | ||
| Name | Mehmet Resmi Efendi | Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Linked personnel workbook |
| Birth year (AH) | 1275 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Birthplace | yenisehir2 used on this page | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Birthplace | yenisehir other value | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Birthplace: district (kaza) | yenisehir | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Birthplace: sancak | Selanik | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Birthplace: province (vilayet) | Selanik | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Province of birth | selanik | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Father's occupation | mültezim | Recovered 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) | 7 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First work | ||
| First work: year (AH) | 1291 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Linked personnel workbook |
| First work: Gregorian year as stored | 1874 | Recovered annual personnel extract |
| First work: place | Tirhala | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First work: district (kaza) | Tirhala | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First work: sancak | Tirhala | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First work: province (vilayet) | yanya | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First job as worded | Asar Kitabeti | Linked personnel workbook; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Age at first work (workbook field) | 16 | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First salary field (kuruş a month) | 320 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First-job salary of the original workbook (kuruş a month) | 320 | 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.
- The sources give more than one value for a marked field. Every value is listed.
- Origin of the record: Post and Telegraph personnel records.
- 15 annual entries of 20 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 Resmi Efendi
- Travelling postal official (Seyyar Memur)
- Bitola (Manastır)
- Larissa (Yenişehir-i Fener)
- School for young children (Sıbyan 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)