Official
Mehmet Şevki Efendi
Muslim (Müslüman). Born in Istanbul (Dersaadet) in 1851/52 (AH 1268). On record 1886 to 1903, 17 annual entries. Death recorded 1903/04.
Archive reference 54_228; 453
Life#
Mehmet Şevki Efendi was born in Istanbul in 1851/52 (AH 1268), into the Muslim (Müslüman) community. Schooling took seven years, at a middle school (Rüşdiye Mektebi); Mehmet Şevki also wrote French as well as Turkish.
At about 27, in 1878/79, Mehmet Şevki began work in the Ticaret Kalemi in Istanbul, paid from the start, on 240 kuruş a month. From 1886/87 to 1902/03 every annual entry places Mehmet Şevki in Istanbul, the birthplace, first in the Sanayi Kalemi, from 1887/88 as a travelling postal official (Seyyar Memur), from 1890/91 in the dispatch office (Sevk Kalemi) and from 1894/95 as an official of the union post (İttihat Posta Memuru).
The salary went from 400 kuruş a month in 1886/87 to 850 in 1890/91, the peak, in the Sevk Kalemi in Istanbul, when 83 per cent of paid officials earned less. In all, 17 years of salary come to 159,540 kuruş, 1.6 times what an official on the median salary earned in those years. The last annual entry is for 1902/03; the list of 1903/04 (AH 1321) gives the status word Vefat (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, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1886/87 | 400 | 500 | 500 | 27% | |
| 1887/88 | 800 | 500 | 600 | 500 | 76% |
| 1888/89 | 750 | 500 | 600 | 500 | 73% |
| 1889/90 | 750 | 500 | 600 | 500 | 74% |
| 1890/91 | 850 | 500 | 525 | 500 | 83% |
| 1891/92 | 850 | 500 | 590 | 500 | 84% |
| 1892/93 | 850 | 500 | 580 | 500 | 85% |
| 1893/94 | 850 | 500 | 476.5 | 480 | 85% |
| 1894/95 | 850 | 500 | 600 | 450 | 85% |
| 1895/96 | 850 | 500 | 600 | 440 | 84% |
| 1896/97 | 765 | 500 | 500 | 425 | 85% |
| 1897/98 | 765 | 500 | 500 | 425 | 85% |
| 1898/99 | 765 | 500 | 520 | 440 | 84% |
| 1899/1900 | 800 | 500 | 500 | 450 | 83% |
| 1900/01 | 800 | 500 | 450 | 450 | 81% |
| 1901/02 | 800 | 500 | 400 | 440 | 81% |
| 1902/03 | 800 | 500 | 400 | 450 | 81% |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1878/79AH 1296 | Ticaret Kalemifirst work | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 240first-salary field |
| 1886/87AH 1304 | Sanayi Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 400 |
| 1887 to 1890AH 1305 to 1307 | Seyyar Memur | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 800 to 750 |
| 1890 to 1894AH 1308 to 1311 | Sevk Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 850 |
| 1894 to 1903AH 1312 to 1320 | İttihat Posta Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 850 to 800 |
| 1903/04AH 1321 | Death recorded | ||
Record#
Personal
- Born
- 1851/52 (AH 1268)
- Birthplace
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- Community
- Muslim (Müslüman)
- Nationality as recorded
- Turkish
- Death recorded
- 1903/04 (AH 1321)the year of the annual list with the word Vefat, not a date of death
Education
- Rüşdiye
- Rüşdiye Mektebi (7 years)rüşdiye school (middle school)
- Unpaid years (mülazemet)
- 0 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
- French
- Kitabetwriting
- Turkish
- Kitabetwriting
The glosses are cautious historical readings of the recorded words, not modern levels of proficiency.
First work
- Year
- 1878/79 (AH 1296)
- Place
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- First job as worded
- Ticaret Kalemi
- Age at first work (workbook field)
- 28
- 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 post (job title and place), same years
Of the 11 officials who held İttihat Posta Memuru in Istanbul in the same years, Mehmet Şevki Efendi had the 5th highest salary.
- Ohannes Abramiyan Efendi9 shared years; highest salary 1,100 kuruş
- Yakup Efendi4 shared years; highest salary 550 kuruş
- Mehmet Nail Efendi4 shared years; highest salary 200 kuruş
- Alber Aziz Efendi2 shared years; highest salary 1,500 kuruş
- Mehmet Rauf Efendi1 shared year; highest salary 1,000 kuruş
Same place, same years
Of the 1,153 officials with entries in Istanbul in the same years, Mehmet Şevki Efendi had the 370th highest salary.
- Salahattin Bey17 shared years; highest salary 7,800 kuruş
- Suleyman Resat Bey17 shared years; highest salary 7,000 kuruş
- Mehmet Hayri Bey17 shared years; highest salary 5,500 kuruş
- Melkok Efendi17 shared years; highest salary 5,000 kuruş
- Dikran Efendi17 shared years; highest salary 4,500 kuruş
Same job title, same years
Of the 42 officials with the title İttihat Posta Memuru in the same years, Mehmet Şevki Efendi had the 7th highest salary.
- Ohannes Abramiyan Efendi9 shared years; highest salary 1,100 kuruş
- Mihran Efendi9 shared years; highest salary 400 kuruş
- Dadi Fransuva Efendi8 shared years; highest salary 600 kuruş
- İskarlato Roskoviç Efendi7 shared years; highest salary 850 kuruş
- Halil Fazıl Efendi7 shared years; highest salary 450 kuruş
Same school
Of the 3,206 officials with Rüşdiye Mektebi among their schools, 3,200 have a recorded salary; Mehmet Şevki Efendi had the 465th highest salary of them.
- Ahmet Cevdet Efendiborn 1851/52 (AH 1268); highest salary 450 kuruş
- Ahmet Hilmi Efendiborn 1851/52 (AH 1268); highest salary 800 kuruş
- Ahmet Kâşif Efendiborn 1851/52 (AH 1268); highest salary 600 kuruş
- Ahmet Nazif Efendiborn 1851/52 (AH 1268); highest salary 400 kuruş
- Ahmet Safvet Efendiborn 1851/52 (AH 1268); highest salary 700 kuruş
Same birthplace
Of the 1,999 officials born in Istanbul, 1,997 have a recorded salary; Mehmet Şevki Efendi had the 491st highest salary of them.
- Ahmet Hilmi Efendiborn 1851/52 (AH 1268); highest salary 800 kuruş
- Ahmet Rıfat Efendiborn 1851/52 (AH 1268); highest salary 650 kuruş
- Ahmet Safvet Efendiborn 1851/52 (AH 1268); highest salary 700 kuruş
- Ali Beyborn 1851/52 (AH 1268); highest salary 2,000 kuruş
- Bahcivan Oglu Kalparki Efendiborn 1851/52 (AH 1268); highest salary 2,500 kuruş
First annual entry in the same year
Of the 53 officials whose first annual entry is for 1886/87 (AH 1304), Mehmet Şevki Efendi had the 17th highest salary.
- Mehmet Raif Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 1,200 kuruş
- Mehmet Ferit Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 300 kuruş
- Dikran Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 4,500 kuruş
- Hüseyin Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 2,500 kuruş
- İbrahim Halil Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 300 kuruş
All 53 officials whose first annual entry is for 1886/87 (AH 1304)
Full record
Annual entries (17)
| Year | Title | Place | Kuruş a month | Institution | Source | Archive reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1886/87AH 1304 | Sanayi Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 400 | Other | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 54_228; 453 |
| 1887/88AH 1305 | Seyyar Memur | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 800 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_228; 453 |
| 1888/89AH 1306 | Seyyar Memur | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 750 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_228; 453 |
| 1889/90AH 1307 | Seyyar Memur | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 750 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_228; 453 |
| 1890/91AH 1308 | Sevk Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 850 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_228; 453 |
| 1891/92AH 1309 | Sevk Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 850 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_228; 453 |
| 1892/93AH 1310 | Sevk Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 850 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_228; 453 |
| 1893/94AH 1311 | Sevk Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 850 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_228; 453 |
| 1894/95AH 1312 | İttihat Posta Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 850 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_228; 453 |
| 1895/96AH 1313 | İttihat Posta Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 850 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_228; 453 |
| 1896/97AH 1314 | İttihat Posta Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 765 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_228; 453 |
| 1897/98AH 1315 | İttihat Posta Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 765 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_228; 453 |
| 1898/99AH 1316 | İttihat Posta Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 765 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_228; 453 |
| 1899/1900AH 1317 | İttihat Posta Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 800 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_228; 453 |
| 1900/01AH 1318 | İttihat Posta Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 800 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_228; 453 |
| 1901/02AH 1319 | İttihat Posta Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 800 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_228; 453 |
| 1902/03AH 1320 | İttihat Posta Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 800 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_228; 453 |
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 Şevki Efendi | Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Linked personnel workbook |
| Birth year (AH) | 1268 | 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 |
| 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) | 0 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First work | ||
| First work: year (AH) | 1296 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Linked personnel workbook |
| First work: Gregorian year as stored | 1879 | 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 | Ticaret Kalemi | Linked personnel workbook; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Age at first work (workbook field) | 28 | 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 |
| Status | ||
| Death recorded under the year (AH) | 1321 | 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.
- 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
- Mehmet Şevki Efendi
- Official of the union (international) post (İttihat Posta Memuru)
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- Rüşdiye school (Rüşdiye Mektebi)
- Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf)
- Muslim (Müslüman)
- Dispatch office (Sevk 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)