Official
Ahmet Efendi
Muslim (Müslüman). Born in Bolu in 1864/65 (AH 1281). On record 1882 to 1907, 18 annual entries.
Archive reference 37_74; 145
Life#
Born in Bolu in 1864/65 (AH 1281), Ahmet Efendi came from the Muslim (Müslüman) community. Schooling took seven years, at a middle school (Rüşdiye Mektebi); Ahmet also wrote Turkish and had some knowledge of French and Greek (Rum).
Work began in the telegraph service (Telgraf) in Bartın in 1880/81, at about 16, with two unpaid years as a mülazım (apprentice) before a first salary of 300 kuruş. The first annual entry, for 1882/83, places Ahmet in Beyoğlu as a policeman (Polis). For 1883 to 1889 the lists have no entry. Ahmet then moved to seven places in 13 years, from Neapoli (Nasliç) to Erenköy, with a rise to director of the third grade (3. Müdür) in 1894/95. The last posts were in Istanbul from 1902 to 1907. Seven provinces on two continents in all, a number reached by fewer than 4 per cent of the 5,200 officials with a place of service.
The salary went from 300 kuruş a month in 1882/83 to 500 in 1891/92, the peak, as a communications official (Muhabere Memuru) in Erzincan, when 43 per cent of paid officials earned less. The final annual entry is for 1906/07.
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 1864/65 (AH 1281)
1889 to 1891 (AH 1307 to 1308)
No annual entry for 1883 to 1889 (AH 1301 to 1306) before it.
300 kuruş a month; entries in 2 years
1901/02 (AH 1319)
No annual entry for 1900/01 (AH 1318) before it.
400 kuruş a month; entries in 1 year
1902 to 1907 (AH 1320 to 1324)
400 to 450 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1882/83 | 300 | 500 | 300 | 11% |
| 1889/90 | 300 | 500 | 400 | 14% |
| 1890/91 | 300 | 500 | 400 | 15% |
| 1891/92 | 500 | 500 | 400 | 43% |
| 1892/93 | 500 | 500 | 400 | 44% |
| 1893/94 | 380 | 500 | 400 | 25% |
| 1894/95 | 500 | 500 | 600 | 46% |
| 1895/96 | 500 | 500 | 600 | 47% |
| 1896/97 | 500 | 500 | 540 | 49% |
| 1897/98 | 500 | 500 | 540 | 49% |
| 1898/99 | 500 | 500 | 540 | 48% |
| 1899/1900 | 500 | 500 | 540 | 47% |
| 1901/02 | 400 | 500 | 400 | 32% |
| 1902/03 | 400 | 500 | 360 | 33% |
| 1903/04 | 400 | 475 | 362.5 | 36% |
| 1904/05 | 400 | 450 | 350 | 38% |
| 1905/06 | 450 | 475 | 310 | 47% |
| 1906/07 | 450 | 450 | 575 | 49% |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1880/81AH 1298 | Telgraffirst work | Bartın | 300first-salary field |
| 1882/83AH 1300 | Polis | Beyoğlu | 300 |
| No annual entry: 1883 to 1889 (AH 1301 to 1306) | |||
| 1889 to 1891AH 1307 to 1308 | Muhabere Memuru | Neapoli (Nasliç) | 300 |
| 1891 to 1893AH 1309 to 1310 | Muhabere Memuru | Erzincan | 500 |
| 1893/94AH 1311 | Muhabere Memuru | Ayvalık | 380 |
| 1894/95AH 1312 | 3. Müdür | Papazlik | 500 |
| 1895/96AH 1313 | 3. Müdür | Buldan | 500 |
| 1896 to 1900AH 1314 to 1317 | 3. Müdür | Bartın | 500 |
| No annual entry: 1900/01 (AH 1318) | |||
| 1901/02AH 1319 | Muhabere Memuru | Erenköy | 400 |
| 1902 to 1907AH 1320 to 1324 | Mevrude Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 400 to 450 |
Record#
Personal
- Born
- 1864/65 (AH 1281)
- Birthplace
- Bolu
- Community
- Muslim (Müslüman)
- Nationality as recorded
- Turkish
Education
- Rüşdiye
- Rüşdiye Mektebi (7 years)rüşdiye school (middle school); place of the school as worded: Bartin
- Unpaid years (mülazemet)
- 2 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
- Asinafamiliarity
- Greek (Rum)
- Asinafamiliarity. 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
- 1880/81 (AH 1298)
- Place
- Bartın
- First job as worded
- Telgraf
- Age at first work (workbook field)
- 17
- First salary field (kuruş a month)
- 300
- First-job salary of the original workbook (kuruş a month)
- 300
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 808 officials with entries in Istanbul in the same years, Ahmet Efendi had the 378th highest salary.
- Hüseyin Hasip Efendi5 shared years; highest salary 20,000 kuruş
- Suleyman Resat Bey5 shared years; highest salary 7,000 kuruş
- Mehmet Hayri Bey5 shared years; highest salary 5,500 kuruş
- Hasan Ferit Efendi5 shared years; highest salary 5,000 kuruş
- Mehmet Asaf Bey5 shared years; highest salary 5,000 kuruş
Same job title, same years
Of the 1,605 officials with the title Muhabere Memuru in the same years, Ahmet Efendi had the 839th highest salary.
- Mehmet Arif Efendi6 shared years; highest salary 3,600 kuruş
- Mehmet Hulusi Bey6 shared years; highest salary 2,600 kuruş
- Mehmet Sadullah Efendi6 shared years; highest salary 1,650 kuruş
- Mehmet Tevfik Efendi6 shared years; highest salary 1,500 kuruş
- Ali Şevket Efendi6 shared years; highest salary 1,450 kuruş
Same school
Of the 3,206 officials with Rüşdiye Mektebi among their schools, 3,200 have a recorded salary; Ahmet Efendi had the 1,253rd highest salary of them.
- Abdullah Hamdi Efendiborn 1864/65 (AH 1281); highest salary 500 kuruş
- Abdurrahman Efendiborn 1864/65 (AH 1281); highest salary 500 kuruş
- Abdüssabur Sabri Efendiborn 1864/65 (AH 1281); highest salary 700 kuruş
- Ahmet Ferit Efendiborn 1864/65 (AH 1281); highest salary 800 kuruş
- Ahmet Servet Efendiborn 1864/65 (AH 1281); highest salary 600 kuruş
Same birthplace
Of the 14 officials born in Bolu, Ahmet Efendi had the 5th highest salary.
- Mehmet Necip Efendiborn 1867/68 (AH 1284); highest salary 1,000 kuruş
- Ali Haydar Efendiborn 1870/71 (AH 1287); highest salary 380 kuruş
- Hüseyin Şemsettin Efendiborn 1855/56 (AH 1272); highest salary 400 kuruş
- Mehmet Faik Efendiborn 1854/55 (AH 1271); highest salary 500 kuruş
- Mustafa Ferit Efendiborn 1876/77 (AH 1293); highest salary 200 kuruş
First annual entry in the same year
Of the 88 officials whose first annual entry is for 1882/83 (AH 1300), Ahmet Efendi had the 60th highest salary.
- Hasan Sani Efendifirst entry in Beyoğlu; highest salary 1,500 kuruş
- Halil Efendifirst entry in Beyoğlu; highest salary 675 kuruş
- Mahmut Efendifirst entry in Beyoğlu; highest salary 550 kuruş
- Ahmet Ferit Efendifirst entry in Bandırma; highest salary 800 kuruş
- Artin Zeki Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 750 kuruş
Full record
Annual entries (18)
| Year | Title | Place | Kuruş a month | Institution | Source | Archive reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1882/83AH 1300 | Polis | Beyoğlu | 300 | Police (Polis) | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 37_74; 145 |
| 1889/90AH 1307 | Muhabere Memuru | Neapoli (Nasliç) | 300 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 37_74; 145 |
| 1890/91AH 1308 | Muhabere Memuru | Neapoli (Nasliç) | 300 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 37_74; 145 |
| 1891/92AH 1309 | Muhabere Memuru | Erzincan | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 37_74; 145 |
| 1892/93AH 1310 | Muhabere Memuru | Erzincan | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 37_74; 145 |
| 1893/94AH 1311 | Muhabere Memuru | Ayvalık | 380 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 37_74; 145 |
| 1894/95AH 1312 | 3. Müdür | Papazlik | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 37_74; 145 |
| 1895/96AH 1313 | 3. Müdür | Buldan | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 37_74; 145 |
| 1896/97AH 1314 | 3. Müdür | Bartın | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 37_74; 145 |
| 1897/98AH 1315 | 3. Müdür | Bartın | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 37_74; 145 |
| 1898/99AH 1316 | 3. Müdür | Bartın | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 37_74; 145 |
| 1899/1900AH 1317 | 3. Müdür | Bartın | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 37_74; 145 |
| 1901/02AH 1319 | Muhabere Memuru | Erenköy | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 37_74; 145 |
| 1902/03AH 1320 | Mevrude Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 37_74; 145 |
| 1903/04AH 1321 | Mevrude Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 37_74; 145 |
| 1904/05AH 1322 | Mevrude Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 37_74; 145 |
| 1905/06AH 1323 | Mevrude Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 450 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 37_74; 145 |
| 1906/07AH 1324 | Mevrude Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 450 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 37_74; 145 |
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 (23)
| Field | Recorded value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | ||
| Name | Ahmet Efendi | Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Linked personnel workbook |
| Birth year (AH) | 1281 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Birthplace | bolu | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Birthplace: district (kaza) | Bolu | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Birthplace: sancak | Bolu | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Birthplace: province (vilayet) | Kastamonu | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Province of birth | kastamonu | 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 |
| Place of the school | Bartin | 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) | 2 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First work | ||
| First work: year (AH) | 1298 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Linked personnel workbook |
| First work: Gregorian year as stored | 1881 | Recovered annual personnel extract |
| First work: place | bartin | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First work: district (kaza) | bartin | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First work: sancak | Bolu | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First work: province (vilayet) | Kastamonu | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First job as worded | Telgraf | Linked personnel workbook; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Age at first work (workbook field) | 17 | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First salary field (kuruş a month) | 300 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First-job salary of the original workbook (kuruş a month) | 300 | 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.
- 16 annual entries of 18 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
- Ahmet Efendi
- Communications official (Muhabere Memuru)
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- Bolu
- Rüşdiye school (Rüşdiye 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)