Official
İbrahim Ethem Efendi
Muslim (Müslüman). Born in Istanbul (Dersaadet) in 1842/43 (AH 1258). On record 1869 to 1898, 30 annual entries. Death recorded 1898/99.
Archive reference 27_156; 309
Life#
İbrahim Ethem Efendi was born in Istanbul in 1842/43 (AH 1258) into the Muslim (Müslüman) community; the father was a servant (hizmetli). Schooling took four years, at a school for young children (Sıbyan Mektebi).
At about 14, in 1855/56, İbrahim Ethem began work in Istanbul, paid from the start, on 100 kuruş a month. The first annual entry, for 1869/70, places İbrahim Ethem in Istanbul, the birthplace, in the Varidat Kalemi, where the entries run to 1871/72. Next came Galata from 1872 to 1876. From 1876 to 1898 every annual entry places İbrahim Ethem again in Istanbul, first in the sorting room (Tefrik Odası), from 1881/82 as an official for outgoing items (Mersule Memuru).
Pay rose from 100 kuruş a month in 1869/70 to a peak of 700 in 1895/96, as Mersule Memuru in Istanbul, when three in four paid officials earned less. The peak lasted a single year; the next list gives 630 kuruş. In all, 30 years of salary come to 174,300 kuruş, about what an official on the median salary earned in those years. After the last annual entry, for 1897/98, the list of 1898/99 (AH 1316) gives the status word Vefat (death).
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 1842/43 (AH 1258); First work 1855/56 (AH 1272); 1869 to 1872 (AH 1286 to 1288)
First work as Enderunu Humayun
Varidat Kalemi 1869/70 (AH 1286); Müvezzi 1870 to 1872 (AH 1287 to 1288)
100 to 300 kuruş a month; entries in 3 years
1876 to 1898 (AH 1293 to 1315)
Tefrik Odası 1876 to 1881 (AH 1293 to 1298); Mersule Memuru 1881 to 1898 (AH 1299 to 1315)
400 to 700 kuruş a month; entries in 23 years
Death recorded in the annual list of 1898/99 (AH 1316): the word Vefat, not a date of death.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1869/70 | 100 | 600 | 0% | |
| 1870/71 | 300 | 600 | 250 | 12% |
| 1871/72 | 285 | 550 | 285 | 11% |
| 1872/73 | 345 | 550 | 330 | 15% |
| 1873/74 | 345 | 500 | 330 | 16% |
| 1874/75 | 345 | 535 | 330 | 16% |
| 1875/76 | 345 | 530 | 345 | 17% |
| 1876/77 | 400 | 582.5 | 17% | |
| 1877/78 | 500 | 560 | 36% | |
| 1878 | 500 | 600 | 33% | |
| 1878/79 | 500 | 600 | 34% | |
| 1879/80 | 400 | 500 | 400 | 35% |
| 1880/81 | 400 | 500 | 425 | 34% |
| 1881/82 | 500 | 500 | 375 | 46% |
| 1882/83 | 500 | 500 | 500 | 43% |
| 1883/84 | 500 | 500 | 500 | 43% |
| 1884/85 | 500 | 500 | 500 | 42% |
| 1885/86 | 500 | 500 | 400 | 42% |
| 1886/87 | 500 | 500 | 450 | 42% |
| 1887/88 | 600 | 500 | 500 | 58% |
| 1888/89 | 600 | 500 | 400 | 58% |
| 1889/90 | 600 | 500 | 225 | 58% |
| 1890/91 | 600 | 500 | 262.5 | 59% |
| 1891/92 | 600 | 500 | 300 | 59% |
| 1892/93 | 600 | 500 | 325 | 59% |
| 1893/94 | 600 | 500 | 375 | 60% |
| 1894/95 | 600 | 500 | 280 | 60% |
| 1895/96 | 700 | 500 | 290 | 74% |
| 1896/97 | 630 | 500 | 212.5 | 75% |
| 1897/98 | 630 | 500 | 135 | 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1855/56AH 1272 | Enderunu Humayunfirst work | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 100first-salary field |
| 1869/70AH 1286 | Varidat Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 100 |
| 1870 to 1872AH 1287 to 1288 | Müvezzi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 300 to 285 |
| 1872 to 1876AH 1289 to 1292 | Müvezzi | Galata | 345 |
| 1876 to 1881AH 1293 to 1298 | Tefrik Odası | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 400 |
| 1881 to 1898AH 1299 to 1315 | Mersule Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 500 to 630 |
| 1898/99AH 1316 | Death recorded | ||
Record#
Personal
- Born
- 1842/43 (AH 1258)
- Birthplace
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- Community
- Muslim (Müslüman)
- Nationality as recorded
- Turkish
- Father's occupation
- Hizmetli
- Death recorded
- 1898/99 (AH 1316)the year of the annual list with the word Vefat, not a date of death
Education
- Primary
- Sıbyan Mektebi (4 years)school for young children (primary school)
- Unpaid years (mülazemet)
- 0 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
- Turkish
- Kitabetwriting
The glosses are cautious historical readings of the recorded words, not modern levels of proficiency.
First work
- Year
- 1855/56 (AH 1272)
- Place
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- First job as worded
- Enderunu Humayun
- Age at first work (workbook field)
- 14
- First salary field (kuruş a month)
- 100
- First-job salary of the original workbook (kuruş a month)
- 100
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 1,136 officials with entries in Istanbul in the same years, İbrahim Ethem Efendi had the 600th highest salary.
- Emil Efendi26 shared years; highest salary 9,000 kuruş
- Suleyman Resat Bey26 shared years; highest salary 7,000 kuruş
- Mehmet Hayri Bey26 shared years; highest salary 5,500 kuruş
- Melkok Efendi26 shared years; highest salary 5,000 kuruş
- Mehmet Salim Bey26 shared years; highest salary 3,000 kuruş
Same job title, same years
Of the 72 officials with the title Mersule Memuru in the same years, İbrahim Ethem Efendi had the 17th highest salary.
- Hasib Sami Efendi15 shared years; highest salary 700 kuruş
- Todori Efendi15 shared years; highest salary 700 kuruş
- Ali Cenap Efendi13 shared years; highest salary 550 kuruş
- Ayn Fahreddin Efendi10 shared years; highest salary 720 kuruş
- Arif Efendi9 shared years; highest salary 650 kuruş
Same school
Of the 746 officials with Sıbyan Mektebi among their schools, 745 have a recorded salary; İbrahim Ethem Efendi had the 356th highest salary of them.
- Abdüllatif Efendiborn 1842/43 (AH 1258); highest salary 1,200 kuruş
- Abdurrahman Zekai Beyborn 1842/43 (AH 1258); highest salary 3,600 kuruş
- Ahmet Kemalettin Efendiborn 1842/43 (AH 1258); highest salary 800 kuruş
- Ahmet Rıfat Efendiborn 1842/43 (AH 1258); highest salary 800 kuruş
- Ahmet Şakir Efendiborn 1842/43 (AH 1258); highest salary 2,000 kuruş
Same birthplace
Of the 1,999 officials born in Istanbul, 1,997 have a recorded salary; İbrahim Ethem Efendi had the 704th highest salary of them.
- Abdülkadir Efendiborn 1842/43 (AH 1258); highest salary 600 kuruş
- Abdüllatif Efendiborn 1842/43 (AH 1258); highest salary 1,200 kuruş
- Abdurrahman Zekai Beyborn 1842/43 (AH 1258); highest salary 3,600 kuruş
- Ahmet İsmet Efendiborn 1842/43 (AH 1258); highest salary 4,400 kuruş
- Ahmet Kemalettin Efendiborn 1842/43 (AH 1258); highest salary 800 kuruş
First annual entry in the same year
Of the 116 officials whose first annual entry is for 1869/70 (AH 1286), İbrahim Ethem Efendi had the 76th highest salary.
- Ahmet Nuri Beyfirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 2,500 kuruş
- Mustafa Musli Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 1,000 kuruş
- Mehmet Nuri Beyfirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 1,800 kuruş
- Mustafa Zeki Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 650 kuruş
- Anastaş Nikolaidis Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 800 kuruş
Full record
Annual entries (30)
| Year | Title | Place | Kuruş a month | Institution | Source | Archive reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1869/70AH 1286 | Varidat Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 100 | Other | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 27_156; 309 |
| 1870/71AH 1287 | Müvezzi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 300 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 27_156; 309 |
| 1871/72AH 1288 | Müvezzi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 285 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 27_156; 309 |
| 1872/73AH 1289 | Müvezzi | Galata | 345 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 27_156; 309 |
| 1873/74AH 1290 | Müvezzi | Galata | 345 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 27_156; 309 |
| 1874/75AH 1291 | Müvezzi | Galata | 345 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 27_156; 309 |
| 1875/76AH 1292 | Müvezzi | Galata | 345 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 27_156; 309 |
| 1876/77AH 1293 | Tefrik Odası | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 27_156; 309 |
| 1877/78AH 1294 | Tefrik Odası | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 27_156; 309 |
| 1878AH 1295 | Tefrik Odası | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 27_156; 309 |
| 1878/79AH 1296 | Tefrik Odası | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 27_156; 309 |
| 1879/80AH 1297 | Tefrik Odası | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 27_156; 309 |
| 1880/81AH 1298 | Tefrik Odası | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 27_156; 309 |
| 1881/82AH 1299 | Mersule Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 27_156; 309 |
| 1882/83AH 1300 | Mersule Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 27_156; 309 |
| 1883/84AH 1301 | Mersule Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 27_156; 309 |
| 1884/85AH 1302 | Mersule Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 27_156; 309 |
| 1885/86AH 1303 | Mersule Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 27_156; 309 |
| 1886/87AH 1304 | Mersule Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 27_156; 309 |
| 1887/88AH 1305 | Mersule Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 27_156; 309 |
| 1888/89AH 1306 | Mersule Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 27_156; 309 |
| 1889/90AH 1307 | Mersule Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 27_156; 309 |
| 1890/91AH 1308 | Mersule Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 27_156; 309 |
| 1891/92AH 1309 | Mersule Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 27_156; 309 |
| 1892/93AH 1310 | Mersule Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 27_156; 309 |
| 1893/94AH 1311 | Mersule Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 27_156; 309 |
| 1894/95AH 1312 | Mersule Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 27_156; 309 |
| 1895/96AH 1313 | Mersule Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 700 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 27_156; 309 |
| 1896/97AH 1314 | Mersule Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 630 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 27_156; 309 |
| 1897/98AH 1315 | Mersule Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 630 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 27_156; 309 |
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 (25)
| Field | Recorded value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | ||
| Name | İbrahim Ethem Efendi | Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Linked personnel workbook |
| Birth year (AH) | 1258 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Birthplace | dersaadet used on this page | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Birthplace | istanbul other value | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Birthplace: district (kaza) | istanbul | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Birthplace: sancak | istanbul | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Birthplace: province (vilayet) | istanbul | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Province of birth | dersaadet | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Father's occupation | Hizmetli | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| 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) | 0 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First work | ||
| First work: year (AH) | 1272 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Linked personnel workbook |
| First work: Gregorian year as stored | 1856 | Recovered annual personnel extract |
| First work: place | istanbul | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First work: district (kaza) | istanbul | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First work: sancak | istanbul | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First work: province (vilayet) | istanbul | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First job as worded | Enderunu Humayun | Linked personnel workbook; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Age at first work (workbook field) | 14 | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First salary field (kuruş a month) | 100 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First-job salary of the original workbook (kuruş a month) | 100 | Linked personnel workbook; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Status | ||
| Death recorded under the year (AH) | 1316 | Earlier annual personnel extract (original copy); Earlier annual personnel extract (parallel copy) |
What the sources named in this table are
- Earlier annual personnel extract (original copy)
- A copy of the earlier annual personnel file, read for the title wording of each year. A death taken from it is the status word Vefat in the title field of one annual list: the year is the year of that list, not a date of death.
- Earlier annual personnel extract (parallel copy)
- A second copy of the earlier annual personnel file, read in the same way. A death taken from it is the status word Vefat in the title field of one annual list: the year is the year of that list, not a date of death. Two copies that agree are one piece of evidence, not two.
- 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.
- 29 annual entries of 30 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
- İbrahim Ethem Efendi
- Official for outgoing items (Mersule Memuru)
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- School for young children (Sıbyan Mektebi)
- Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf)
- Muslim (Müslüman)
- Deliverer (Müvezzi)
- 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)