Official
Mehmet Cemil Efendi
Muslim (Müslüman). Born in Istanbul (Dersaadet) in 1870/71 (AH 1287). On record 1888 to 1896, 7 annual entries. Death recorded 1896/97.
Archive reference 0065_0015; 27
Life#
Born in Istanbul in 1870/71 (AH 1287), Mehmet Cemil Efendi came from the Muslim (Müslüman) community; the father was a clerk (ketebe). Schooling took seven years, at a middle school (Rüşdiye Mektebi); Mehmet Cemil also wrote French as well as Turkish.
Mehmet Cemil began work in Tripoli (Trablusgarp) in 1887/88, at about 17, with one unpaid year as a mülazım (apprentice) before a first salary of 150 kuruş. The annual lists begin in 1888/89, with Mehmet Cemil as a communications official (Muhabere Memuru) in Tripoli. Mehmet Cemil then moved to Mount Athos (Aynaroz), Istanbul, Thessaloniki (Selanik) and Sinop, four places in four years, with a rise to travelling postal official (Seyyar Memur) in 1890/91 and to a post in the Emanet Kitabeti in 1891/92. The last posts were in Antalya from 1894 to 1896. Few officials served on three continents (Africa, Asia and Europe); fewer than 2 per cent of the 5,200 officials with a place of service did.
Pay rose from 150 kuruş a month in 1888/89 to a peak of 1,000 in 1891/92, in the Emanet Kitabeti in Thessaloniki, when 86 per cent of paid officials earned less. That salary was paid for a single year, and the next list gives 750 kuruş. The last annual entry is for 1895/96; the list of 1896/97 (AH 1314) 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 1870/71 (AH 1287)
First work 1887/88 (AH 1305); 1888/89 (AH 1306)
150 kuruş a month; entries in 1 year
1894 to 1896 (AH 1312 to 1313)
No annual entry for 1893/94 (AH 1311) before it.
Merkez Memuru 1894/95 (AH 1312); 2. Müdür 1895/96 (AH 1313)
400 to 800 kuruş a month; entries in 2 years
Death recorded in the annual list of 1896/97 (AH 1314): 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1888/89 | 150 | 500 | 400 | 2% |
| 1889/90 | 500 | 500 | 400 | 42% |
| 1890/91 | 750 | 500 | 600 | 75% |
| 1891/92 | 1,000 | 500 | 500 | 86% |
| 1892/93 | 750 | 500 | 600 | 76% |
| 1894/95 | 400 | 500 | 600 | 30% |
| 1895/96 | 800 | 500 | 800 | 80% |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1887/88AH 1305 | First work | Tripoli (Trablusgarp) | 150first-salary field |
| 1888/89AH 1306 | Muhabere Memuru | Tripoli (Trablusgarp) | 150 |
| 1889/90AH 1307 | Muhabere Memuru | Mount Athos (Aynaroz) | 500 |
| 1890/91AH 1308 | Seyyar Memur | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 750 |
| 1891/92AH 1309 | Emanet Kitabeti | Thessaloniki (Selanik) | 1,000 |
| 1892/93AH 1310 | Seyyar Memur | Sinop | 750 |
| No annual entry: 1893/94 (AH 1311) | |||
| 1894/95AH 1312 | Merkez Memuru | Antalya | 400 |
| 1895/96AH 1313 | 2. Müdür | Antalya | 800 |
| 1896/97AH 1314 | Death recorded | ||
Record#
Personal
- Born
- 1870/71 (AH 1287)
- Birthplace
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- Community
- Muslim (Müslüman)
- Nationality as recorded
- Turkish
- Father's occupation
- Ketebe
- Death recorded
- 1896/97 (AH 1314)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)
- 1 year
- 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
- 1887/88 (AH 1305)
- First salary field (kuruş a month)
- 150
Legal records
- Legal record note as worded
- Devamsızlıktan dolayı; Zimmet / Mumaileyhin yirmi bin dokuz yüz kırk yedi kuruş yirmi para zimmeti zuhur etmekle bin üç yüz on üç senesi Muharreminin dokuzunda 20 Haziran sene 1312 azli; Devamsızlık; Zimmet
- Years (AH) with a criminal-record mark in the annual records
- 1312; 1313
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 3 officials with entries in Antalya in the same years, Mehmet Cemil Efendi had the highest salary.
- Ethem Pertev Efendi2 shared years; highest salary 500 kuruş
- İSTEFAN VELED-İ NİKOLAYİDİ EFENDİ2 shared years; highest salary 500 kuruş
Same job title, same years
Of the 738 officials with the title Muhabere Memuru in the same years, Mehmet Cemil Efendi had the 88th highest salary.
- Mehmet Arif Efendi2 shared years; highest salary 3,600 kuruş
- Halil Habib Efendi2 shared years; highest salary 3,000 kuruş
- Halil Hicri Efendi2 shared years; highest salary 3,000 kuruş
- Ömer Lütfi Efendi2 shared years; highest salary 3,000 kuruş
- Mehmet Hulusi Bey2 shared years; highest salary 2,600 kuruş
Same school
Of the 3,206 officials with Rüşdiye Mektebi among their schools, 3,200 have a recorded salary; Mehmet Cemil Efendi had the 289th highest salary of them.
- Abdulgafur Sufi Efendiborn 1870/71 (AH 1287); highest salary 600 kuruş
- Abdülkerim Efendiborn 1870/71 (AH 1287); highest salary 400 kuruş
- Abdullah Mazhar Efendiborn 1870/71 (AH 1287); highest salary 800 kuruş
- Abdurrezak Bey Efendiborn 1870/71 (AH 1287); highest salary 1,000 kuruş
- Ahmed Talat Efendiborn 1870/71 (AH 1287); highest salary 500 kuruş
Same birthplace
Of the 1,999 officials born in Istanbul, 1,997 have a recorded salary; Mehmet Cemil Efendi had the 354th highest salary of them.
- Agop Efendiborn 1870/71 (AH 1287); highest salary 150 kuruş
- Ahmed Talat Efendiborn 1870/71 (AH 1287); highest salary 500 kuruş
- Ahmet Avni Efendiborn 1870/71 (AH 1287); highest salary 500 kuruş
- Ahmet Avni Efendiborn 1870/71 (AH 1287); highest salary 5,000 kuruş
- Ahmet Hurşit Efendiborn 1870/71 (AH 1287); highest salary 400 kuruş
First annual entry in the same year
Of the 114 officials whose first annual entry is for 1888/89 (AH 1306), 113 have a recorded salary; Mehmet Cemil Efendi had the 12th highest salary of them.
- Ali Rıza Beyfirst entry in Tripoli (Trablusgarp); highest salary 1,500 kuruş
- Abdullah Mazhar Efendifirst entry in Urfele; highest salary 800 kuruş
- Agop Efendifirst entry in Thessaloniki (Selanik); highest salary 300 kuruş
- Ahmet Avni Efendifirst entry in Thessaloniki (Selanik); highest salary 500 kuruş
- Hacı Abdurrahim Muhsin Efendifirst entry in Jeddah (Cidde); highest salary 2,500 kuruş
Full record
Annual entries (7)
| Year | Title | Place | Kuruş a month | Institution | Source | Archive reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1888/89AH 1306 | Muhabere Memuru | Tripoli (Trablusgarp) | 150 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0015; 27 |
| 1889/90AH 1307 | Muhabere Memuru | Mount Athos (Aynaroz) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0015; 27 |
| 1890/91AH 1308 | Seyyar Memur | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 750 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0015; 27 |
| 1891/92AH 1309 | Emanet Kitabeti | Thessaloniki (Selanik) | 1,000 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0015; 27 |
| 1892/93AH 1310 | Seyyar Memur | Sinop | 750 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0015; 27 |
| 1894/95AH 1312 | Merkez Memuru | Antalya | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0015; 27 |
| 1895/96AH 1313 | 2. Müdür | Antalya | 800 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0015; 27 |
What the sources named in this table are
- 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 (20)
| Field | Recorded value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | ||
| Name | Mehmet Cemil Efendi | Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Birth year (AH) | 1287 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Birthplace | dersaadet | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Province of birth | dersaadet | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Father's occupation | Ketebe | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Religion | Musluman | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Nationality or community | Turkish | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Schooling | ||
| School | Rusdiye Mektebi | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Years of schooling | 7 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Years of apprenticeship (mülazemet) | 1 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First work | ||
| First work: year (AH) | 1305 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First work: Gregorian year as stored | 1888 | Recovered annual personnel extract |
| First work: place | Trablusgarp | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First salary field (kuruş a month) | 150 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Legal records | ||
| Legal record note as worded | Devamsızlıktan dolayı used on this page | Legal notes (earlier workbook copy); Legal notes (later workbook copy) |
| Legal record note as worded | Zimmet / Mumaileyhin yirmi bin dokuz yüz kırk yedi kuruş yirmi para zimmeti zuhur etmekle bin üç yüz on üç senesi Muharreminin dokuzunda 20 Haziran sene 1312 azli other value | Legal notes (earlier workbook copy); Legal notes (later workbook copy) |
| Legal record note as worded | Devamsızlık other value | Legal notes (earlier workbook copy); Legal notes (later workbook copy) |
| Legal record note as worded | Zimmet other value | Legal notes (earlier workbook copy); Legal notes (later workbook copy) |
| Years (AH) with a criminal-record mark in the annual records | 1312; 1313 | Later annual personnel extract |
| Status | ||
| Death recorded under the year (AH) | 1314 | Earlier annual personnel extract (original copy); Earlier annual personnel extract (parallel 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.
- 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.
- Later annual personnel extract
- The detailed annual personnel file of October 2025. It marks single annual entries with a criminal-record flag and holds status words such as Vefat. For a death, the year is the year of the annual list in which the status word stands.
- 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.
- The sources give more than one value for a marked field. Every value is listed.
- Origin of the record: Post and Telegraph personnel records.
- 7 annual entries of 7 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 Cemil Efendi
- Communications official (Muhabere Memuru)
- Antalya
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- 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)