Official
Mehmet Şerefeddin Efendi
Muslim (Müslüman). Born in Istanbul (Dersaadet) in 1853/54 (AH 1270). On record 1872 to 1907, 36 annual entries.
Archive reference 00049_0179; 351
Life#
Mehmet Şerefeddin Efendi was born in Istanbul in 1853/54 (AH 1270) into the Muslim (Müslüman) community; the father was a medrese teacher (müderris). Schooling took four years, at a school for young children (Sıbyan Mektebi); Mehmet Şerefeddin also attended the telegraph school.
Mehmet Şerefeddin began work in the Maliye Kalemi in Istanbul in 1866/67, at about 13, with three unpaid years as a mülazım (apprentice) before a first salary of 100 kuruş. Few began so young; fewer than 6 per cent of the 5,128 officials whose age at first work is known started at 13 or younger. Every annual entry from 1872/73 to 1906/07 places Mehmet Şerefeddin in Istanbul, the birthplace, with four changes of title, from accounts office (Muhasebe Kalemi) to correspondence office (Tahrirat Kalemi) in 1882/83. Of the 775 officials whose entries span 30 years or more, 11 per cent stayed in one place throughout.
Pay rose from 100 kuruş a month in 1872/73 to a peak of 1,700 in 1902/03, in the Tahrirat Kalemi in Istanbul, when 95 per cent of paid officials earned less. Over 36 years the salaries add up to 416,580 kuruş, 1.9 times what an official on the median salary earned. The final annual entry is for 1906/07.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1872/73 | 100 | 550 | 632.5 | 1% |
| 1873/74 | 120 | 500 | 340 | 2% |
| 1874/75 | 250 | 535 | 250 | 9% |
| 1875/76 | 400 | 530 | 300 | 23% |
| 1876/77 | 600 | 582.5 | 415 | 50% |
| 1877/78 | 600 | 560 | 552.5 | 50% |
| 1878 | 600 | 600 | 600 | 46% |
| 1878/79 | 700 | 600 | 800 | 61% |
| 1879/80 | 600 | 500 | 382.5 | 61% |
| 1880/81 | 600 | 500 | 380 | 60% |
| 1881/82 | 600 | 500 | 385 | 60% |
| 1882/83 | 600 | 500 | 500 | 59% |
| 1883/84 | 600 | 500 | 580 | 59% |
| 1884/85 | 600 | 500 | 600 | 59% |
| 1885/86 | 600 | 500 | 600 | 58% |
| 1886/87 | 800 | 500 | 580 | 77% |
| 1887/88 | 800 | 500 | 620 | 76% |
| 1888/89 | 800 | 500 | 600 | 77% |
| 1889/90 | 900 | 500 | 500 | 83% |
| 1890/91 | 900 | 500 | 450 | 84% |
| 1891/92 | 900 | 500 | 500 | 85% |
| 1892/93 | 950 | 500 | 600 | 86% |
| 1893/94 | 950 | 500 | 545 | 87% |
| 1894/95 | 950 | 500 | 650 | 87% |
| 1895/96 | 1,500 | 500 | 800 | 94% |
| 1896/97 | 1,395 | 500 | 720 | 95% |
| 1897/98 | 1,500 | 500 | 720 | 95% |
| 1898/99 | 1,500 | 500 | 800 | 95% |
| 1899/1900 | 1,600 | 500 | 745 | 95% |
| 1900/01 | 1,600 | 500 | 705 | 95% |
| 1901/02 | 1,600 | 500 | 750 | 95% |
| 1902/03 | 1,700 | 500 | 645 | 95% |
| 1903/04 | 1,700 | 475 | 837.5 | 95% |
| 1904/05 | 1,700 | 450 | 775 | 95% |
| 1905/06 | 1,700 | 475 | 737.5 | 95% |
| 1906/07 | 1,700 | 450 | 875 | 94% |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1866/67AH 1283 | Maliye Kalemifirst work | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 100first-salary field |
| 1872/73AH 1289 | Muhasebe Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 100 |
| 1873 to 1876AH 1290 to 1292 | Memur | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 120 to 400 |
| 1876 to 1879AH 1293 to 1296 | Mukayyit | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 600 to 700 |
| 1879 to 1882AH 1297 to 1299 | Sevk Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 600 |
| 1882 to 1907AH 1300 to 1324 | Tahrirat Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 600 to 1,700 |
Record#
Personal
- Born
- 1853/54 (AH 1270)
- Birthplace
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- Community
- Muslim (Müslüman)
- Nationality as recorded
- Turkish
- Father's occupation
- Muderris
Education
- Primary
- Sıbyan Mektebi (4 years)school for young children (primary school)
- Higher or professional
- Telgraf Mektebitelegraph school; recorded as a code
- Unpaid years (mülazemet)
- 3 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
- 1866/67 (AH 1283)
- Place
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- First job as worded
- Maliye Kalemi
- Age at first work (workbook field)
- 13
- 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 1,519 officials with entries in Istanbul in the same years, Mehmet Şerefeddin Efendi had the 217th highest salary.
- Suleyman Resat Bey36 shared years; highest salary 7,000 kuruş
- Mehmet Hayri Bey36 shared years; highest salary 5,500 kuruş
- Melkok Efendi36 shared years; highest salary 5,000 kuruş
- Unnamed official (0007_0144; 285)36 shared years; highest salary 2,750 kuruş
- Mehmet Şükrü Efendi36 shared years; highest salary 2,500 kuruş
Same job title, same years
Of the 72 officials with the title Tahrirat Kalemi in the same years, Mehmet Şerefeddin Efendi had the 5th highest salary.
- Unnamed official (0006_0303; 601)25 shared years; highest salary 1,200 kuruş
- Mehmet Fehmi Efendi25 shared years; highest salary 1,100 kuruş
- Komidas Efendi25 shared years; highest salary 875 kuruş
- Hacı Bekir Efendi23 shared years; highest salary 1,200 kuruş
- Mustafa Hamdi Bey19 shared years; highest salary 1,050 kuruş
Same school
Of the 746 officials with Sıbyan Mektebi among their schools, 745 have a recorded salary; Mehmet Şerefeddin Efendi had the 101st highest salary of them.
- Abdullah Efendiborn 1853/54 (AH 1270); highest salary 600 kuruş
- Abdurarhim Rahmi Efendiborn 1853/54 (AH 1270); highest salary 900 kuruş
- Agop Maryan Efendiborn 1853/54 (AH 1270); highest salary 750 kuruş
- Ahmet Canib Efendiborn 1853/54 (AH 1270); highest salary 590 kuruş
- Ahmet Fehmi Efendiborn 1853/54 (AH 1270); highest salary 1,200 kuruş
Same birthplace
Of the 1,999 officials born in Istanbul, 1,997 have a recorded salary; Mehmet Şerefeddin Efendi had the 186th highest salary of them.
- Agop Maryan Efendiborn 1853/54 (AH 1270); highest salary 750 kuruş
- Ahmet Canib Efendiborn 1853/54 (AH 1270); highest salary 590 kuruş
- Ahmet Naim Efendiborn 1853/54 (AH 1270); highest salary 500 kuruş
- Ali Haydar Efendiborn 1853/54 (AH 1270); highest salary 1,500 kuruş
- Ali Riza Efendiborn 1853/54 (AH 1270); highest salary 600 kuruş
First annual entry in the same year
Of the 84 officials whose first annual entry is for 1872/73 (AH 1289), Mehmet Şerefeddin Efendi had the 9th highest salary.
- Huseyin Refik Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 1,500 kuruş
- Mehmet Aziz Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 700 kuruş
- Salim Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 290 kuruş
- Unnamed official (0067_0240; sayfa no:477)first entry in Istanbul; highest salary 500 kuruş
- İsmail Hakkı Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 790 kuruş
Full record
Annual entries (36)
| Year | Title | Place | Kuruş a month | Institution | Source | Archive reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1872/73AH 1289 | Muhasebe Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 100 | Other | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 00049_0179; 351 |
| 1873/74AH 1290 | Memur | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 120 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 00049_0179; 351 |
| 1874/75AH 1291 | Memur | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 250 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 00049_0179; 351 |
| 1875/76AH 1292 | Memur | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 00049_0179; 351 |
| 1876/77AH 1293 | Mukayyit | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 00049_0179; 351 |
| 1877/78AH 1294 | Mukayyit | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 00049_0179; 351 |
| 1878AH 1295 | Mukayyit | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 00049_0179; 351 |
| 1878/79AH 1296 | Mukayyit | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 700 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 00049_0179; 351 |
| 1879/80AH 1297 | Sevk Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 00049_0179; 351 |
| 1880/81AH 1298 | Sevk Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 00049_0179; 351 |
| 1881/82AH 1299 | Sevk Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 00049_0179; 351 |
| 1882/83AH 1300 | Tahrirat Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 00049_0179; 351 |
| 1883/84AH 1301 | Tahrirat Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 00049_0179; 351 |
| 1884/85AH 1302 | Tahrirat Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 00049_0179; 351 |
| 1885/86AH 1303 | Tahrirat Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 00049_0179; 351 |
| 1886/87AH 1304 | Tahrirat Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 800 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 00049_0179; 351 |
| 1887/88AH 1305 | Tahrirat Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 800 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 00049_0179; 351 |
| 1888/89AH 1306 | Tahrirat Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 800 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 00049_0179; 351 |
| 1889/90AH 1307 | Tahrirat Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 900 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 00049_0179; 351 |
| 1890/91AH 1308 | Tahrirat Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 900 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 00049_0179; 351 |
| 1891/92AH 1309 | Tahrirat Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 900 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 00049_0179; 351 |
| 1892/93AH 1310 | Tahrirat Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 950 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 00049_0179; 351 |
| 1893/94AH 1311 | Tahrirat Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 950 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 00049_0179; 351 |
| 1894/95AH 1312 | Tahrirat Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 950 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 00049_0179; 351 |
| 1895/96AH 1313 | Tahrirat Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 1,500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 00049_0179; 351 |
| 1896/97AH 1314 | Tahrirat Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 1,395 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 00049_0179; 351 |
| 1897/98AH 1315 | Tahrirat Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 1,500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 00049_0179; 351 |
| 1898/99AH 1316 | Tahrirat Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 1,500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 00049_0179; 351 |
| 1899/1900AH 1317 | Tahrirat Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 1,600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 00049_0179; 351 |
| 1900/01AH 1318 | Tahrirat Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 1,600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 00049_0179; 351 |
| 1901/02AH 1319 | Tahrirat Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 1,600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 00049_0179; 351 |
| 1902/03AH 1320 | Tahrirat Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 1,700 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 00049_0179; 351 |
| 1903/04AH 1321 | Tahrirat Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 1,700 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 00049_0179; 351 |
| 1904/05AH 1322 | Tahrirat Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 1,700 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 00049_0179; 351 |
| 1905/06AH 1323 | Tahrirat Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 1,700 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 00049_0179; 351 |
| 1906/07AH 1324 | Tahrirat Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 1,700 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 00049_0179; 351 |
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 | Mehmet Şerefeddin Efendi | Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Linked personnel workbook |
| Birth year (AH) | 1270 | 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 | muderris | 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 |
| Telegraph school (recorded code) | 1 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Years of apprenticeship (mülazemet) | 3 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First work | ||
| First work: year (AH) | 1283 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Linked personnel workbook |
| First work: Gregorian year as stored | 1866 | 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 | Maliye Kalemi | Linked personnel workbook; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Age at first work (workbook field) | 13 | 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 |
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.
- 34 annual entries of 36 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 Şerefeddin Efendi
- Correspondence office (Tahrirat Kalemi)
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- School for young children (Sıbyan Mektebi)
- Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf)
- Muslim (Müslüman)
- Registry clerk (Mukayyit)
- 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)