Official
Ali Rıza Efendi
Muslim (Müslüman). Born in Istanbul (Dersaadet) in 1856/57 (AH 1273). On record 1876 to 1896, 20 annual entries.
Archive reference 5_86; 169
Life#
Ali Rıza Efendi was born in Istanbul in 1856/57 (AH 1273) into the Muslim (Müslüman) community; the father's occupation was "cavusbasi". Schooling took seven years, at the Imperial Palace School (Enderun-ı Hümayun Mektebi).
Ali Rıza began work in Istanbul in 1867/68, at about 11, with eight unpaid years as a mülazım (apprentice) before a first salary of 100 kuruş. Fewer than 2 per cent of the 5,128 officials whose age at first work is known began work at 11 or younger. The annual lists begin in 1876/77, with Ali Rıza in the office of the corresponding secretary (Mektubi Kalemi) in Istanbul, the birthplace, where the entries run to 1884/85. Ali Rıza then moved to Yemen in 1885/86 and Istanbul in 1887/88, then Yeni camii postanesi from 1888 to 1894, with a rise to chief clerkship (Başkitabet). The last posts were in Istanbul again from 1894 to 1896, with a rise to Mumeyyizi Evvel in 1895/96. The farthest post, Yemen, lay about 3,200 km from Istanbul, and fewer than 2 per cent of the 5,162 officials with a known birthplace and place of service served as far from the birthplace.
The salary went from 100 kuruş a month in 1876/77 to 2,000 in 1895/96, the peak, as Mumeyyizi Evvel in Istanbul, when 96 per cent of paid officials earned less. The final annual entry is for 1895/96.
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 1856/57 (AH 1273); First work 1867/68 (AH 1284); 1876 to 1885 (AH 1293 to 1302)
First work as Enderunu Humayun
Mektubi Kalemi 1876 to 1879 (AH 1293 to 1296); Sevk Katibi Odasi 1879/80 (AH 1297); Muhasebe Kalemi Musevvit 1880/81 (AH 1298); Mektubi Kalemi Musevvit 1881 to 1885 (AH 1299 to 1302)
100 to 900 kuruş a month; entries in 10 years
1887/88 (AH 1305)
No annual entry for 1886/87 (AH 1304) before it.
800 kuruş a month; entries in 1 year
1894 to 1896 (AH 1312 to 1313)
Mektubi Kalemi Mumeyyizi 1894/95 (AH 1312); Mumeyyizi Evvel 1895/96 (AH 1313)
1,500 to 2,000 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1876/77 | 100 | 582.5 | 300 | 587.5 | 0% |
| 1877/78 | 300 | 560 | 400 | 600 | 8% |
| 1878 | 500 | 600 | 450 | 600 | 33% |
| 1878/79 | 700 | 600 | 400 | 600 | 61% |
| 1879/80 | 600 | 500 | 500 | 61% | |
| 1880/81 | 600 | 500 | 500 | 60% | |
| 1881/82 | 900 | 500 | 500 | 82% | |
| 1882/83 | 900 | 500 | 500 | 81% | |
| 1883/84 | 900 | 500 | 500 | 81% | |
| 1884/85 | 900 | 500 | 500 | 81% | |
| 1885/86 | 1,000 | 500 | 800 | 1,200 | 83% |
| 1887/88 | 800 | 500 | 500 | 76% | |
| 1888/89 | 1,500 | 500 | 500 | 92% | |
| 1889/90 | 1,500 | 500 | 500 | 93% | |
| 1890/91 | 1,500 | 500 | 500 | 93% | |
| 1891/92 | 1,500 | 500 | 500 | 94% | |
| 1892/93 | 1,500 | 500 | 1,000 | 500 | 94% |
| 1893/94 | 1,500 | 500 | 700 | 480 | 94% |
| 1894/95 | 1,500 | 500 | 450 | 94% | |
| 1895/96 | 2,000 | 500 | 440 | 96% |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1867/68AH 1284 | Enderunu Humayunfirst work | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 100first-salary field |
| 1876 to 1879AH 1293 to 1296 | Mektubi Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 100 to 700 |
| 1879/80AH 1297 | Sevk Katibi Odasi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 600 |
| 1880/81AH 1298 | Muhasebe Kalemi Musevvit | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 600 |
| 1881 to 1885AH 1299 to 1302 | Mektubi Kalemi Musevvit | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 900 |
| 1885/86AH 1303 | 2. Müdür | Yemen | 1,000 |
| No annual entry: 1886/87 (AH 1304) | |||
| 1887/88AH 1305 | Musevvit Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 800 |
| 1888 to 1894AH 1306 to 1311 | Başkitabet | Yeni camii postanesi | 1,500 |
| 1894/95AH 1312 | Mektubi Kalemi Mumeyyizi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 1,500 |
| 1895/96AH 1313 | Mumeyyizi Evvel | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 2,000 |
Record#
Personal
- Born
- 1856/57 (AH 1273)
- Birthplace
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- Community
- Muslim (Müslüman)
- Nationality as recorded
- Turkish
- Father's occupation
- cavusbasi
- By-name
- Agazade
Education
- Other named school
- Enderun-ı Hümayun Mektebi (7 years)Imperial Palace School (Enderun)
- Unpaid years (mülazemet)
- 8 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
- 1867/68 (AH 1284)
- Place
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- First job as worded
- Enderunu Humayun
- Age at first work (workbook field)
- 11
- First salary field (kuruş a month)
- 100
- First-job salary of the original workbook (kuruş a month)
- 100
Legal records
- Legal record note as worded
- 1,5 yıl hapis verilmiş sebebi izah edilmemiştir.
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 16 officials who held Mektubi Kalemi in Istanbul in the same years, Ali Rıza Efendi had the 5th highest salary.
- Hafız Hilmi Efendi4 shared years; highest salary 2,700 kuruş
- Osman Mazhar Bey4 shared years; highest salary 2,550 kuruş
- Mehmet Salim Efendi4 shared years; highest salary 2,250 kuruş
- Ahmet Haydar Bey4 shared years; highest salary 1,600 kuruş
- Mehmet Nazmi Bey4 shared years; highest salary 1,500 kuruş
Same place, same years
Of the 924 officials with entries in Istanbul in the same years, Ali Rıza Efendi had the 147th highest salary.
- Emil Efendi13 shared years; highest salary 9,000 kuruş
- Salahattin Bey13 shared years; highest salary 7,800 kuruş
- Suleyman Resat Bey13 shared years; highest salary 7,000 kuruş
- Mehmet Hayri Bey13 shared years; highest salary 5,500 kuruş
- Melkok Efendi13 shared years; highest salary 5,000 kuruş
Same job title, same years
Of the 7 officials with the title Başkitabet in the same years, Ali Rıza Efendi had the 2nd highest salary.
- Fornaraki Hasan Lamii Efendi4 shared years; highest salary 1,300 kuruş
- Mehmed Şevket Bey2 shared years; highest salary 5,000 kuruş
- Ahmet Haydar Bey2 shared years; highest salary 1,600 kuruş
- Ömer Efendi2 shared years; highest salary 750 kuruş
- Mihran Efendi2 shared years; highest salary 700 kuruş
Same school
Of the 5 officials with Enderun-ı Hümayun Mektebi among their schools, Ali Rıza Efendi had the highest salary.
- Hüsnü Efendiborn 1857/58 (AH 1274); highest salary 800 kuruş
- Mahmut Efendiborn 1859/60 (AH 1276); highest salary 720 kuruş
- Hüseyin Saik Efendiborn 1844/45 (AH 1260); highest salary 1,100 kuruş
- Mehmet Celalettin Efendiborn 1839/40 (AH 1255); highest salary 1,500 kuruş
Same birthplace
Of the 1,999 officials born in Istanbul, 1,997 have a recorded salary; Ali Rıza Efendi had the 139th highest salary of them.
- Abdurrahman Rüştü Efendiborn 1856/57 (AH 1273); highest salary 760 kuruş
- Ahmet Rifat Efendiborn 1856/57 (AH 1273); highest salary 400 kuruş
- Alfo Efendiborn 1856/57 (AH 1273); highest salary 600 kuruş
- Ali Beyborn 1856/57 (AH 1273); highest salary 1,400 kuruş
- Ali Nuri Efendiborn 1856/57 (AH 1273); highest salary 440 kuruş
First annual entry in the same year
Of the 120 officials whose first annual entry is for 1876/77 (AH 1293), Ali Rıza Efendi had the 5th highest salary.
- Ali Nuri Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 440 kuruş
- Fuat Beyfirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 250 kuruş
- Mehmet Asım Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 1,550 kuruş
- İbrahim Faik Beyfirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 600 kuruş
- Vahram Beyfirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 2,000 kuruş
Full record
Annual entries (20)
| Year | Title | Place | Kuruş a month | Institution | Source | Archive reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1876/77AH 1293 | Mektubi Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 100 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_86; 169 |
| 1877/78AH 1294 | Mektubi Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 300 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_86; 169 |
| 1878AH 1295 | Mektubi Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_86; 169 |
| 1878/79AH 1296 | Mektubi Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 700 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_86; 169 |
| 1879/80AH 1297 | Sevk Katibi Odasi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_86; 169 |
| 1880/81AH 1298 | Muhasebe Kalemi Musevvit | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_86; 169 |
| 1881/82AH 1299 | Mektubi Kalemi Musevvit | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 900 | Other | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 5_86; 169 |
| 1882/83AH 1300 | Mektubi Kalemi Musevvit | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 900 | Other | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 5_86; 169 |
| 1883/84AH 1301 | Mektubi Kalemi Musevvit | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 900 | Other | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 5_86; 169 |
| 1884/85AH 1302 | Mektubi Kalemi Musevvit | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 900 | Other | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 5_86; 169 |
| 1885/86AH 1303 | 2. Müdür | Yemen | 1,000 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_86; 169 |
| 1887/88AH 1305 | Musevvit Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 800 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_86; 169 |
| 1888/89AH 1306 | Başkitabet | Yeni camii postanesi | 1,500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_86; 169 |
| 1889/90AH 1307 | Başkitabet | Yeni camii postanesi | 1,500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_86; 169 |
| 1890/91AH 1308 | Başkitabet | Yeni camii postanesi | 1,500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_86; 169 |
| 1891/92AH 1309 | Başkitabet | Yeni camii postanesi | 1,500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_86; 169 |
| 1892/93AH 1310 | Başkitabet | Yeni camii postanesi | 1,500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_86; 169 |
| 1893/94AH 1311 | Başkitabet | Yeni camii postanesi | 1,500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_86; 169 |
| 1894/95AH 1312 | Mektubi Kalemi Mumeyyizi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 1,500 | Other | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 5_86; 169 |
| 1895/96AH 1313 | Mumeyyizi Evvel | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 2,000 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_86; 169 |
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 (26)
| Field | Recorded value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | ||
| Name | Ali Rıza Efendi | Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Linked personnel workbook |
| By-name | Agazade | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Birth year (AH) | 1273 | 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 | cavusbasi | 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 | Enderuni Humayun 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) | 8 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First work | ||
| First work: year (AH) | 1284 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Linked personnel workbook |
| First work: Gregorian year as stored | 1867 | 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) | 11 | 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 |
| Legal records | ||
| Legal record note as worded | 1,5 yıl hapis verilmiş sebebi izah edilmemiştir. | Legal notes (earlier workbook copy); Legal notes (later workbook copy) |
What the sources named in this table are
- Legal notes (earlier workbook copy)
- A workbook of notes on legal records. The wording is kept as written. It may hold an accusation or an acquittal, it is not the finding of a court, and its year is the year of the record, not the date of an event.
- Legal notes (later workbook copy)
- A later copy of the workbook of notes on legal records. The same wording in both copies is one note, 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.
- 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
- Ali Rıza Efendi
- Chief clerkship (Başkitabet)
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- Imperial Palace School (Enderun-ı Hümayun Mektebi)
- Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf)
- Muslim (Müslüman)
- Office of the corresponding secretary (Mektubi Kalemi)
- 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)