Official
Mehmed Şemsi Efendi
Muslim (Müslüman). Born in Istanbul (Dersaadet) in 1841/42 (AH 1257). On record 1860 to 1904, 45 annual entries.
Archive reference 0100_0035; 67
Life#
Mehmed Şemsi Efendi was born in Istanbul in 1841/42 (AH 1257) into the Muslim (Müslüman) community; the father was an official (memur). Schooling took four years, at a school for young children (Sıbyan Mektebi); Mehmed Şemsi also wrote French.
At about 19, in 1860/61, Mehmed Şemsi began work in the Evrak Kalemi in Istanbul, paid from the start, on 30 kuruş a month. From 1860/61 to 1903/04 every annual entry places Mehmed Şemsi in Istanbul, the birthplace, first in the documents office (Evrak Kalemi), from 1870/71 in the collections office (Tahsilat Kalemi), from 1894/95 as a communications official (Muhabere Memuru) and from 1903/04 in the Tahsilat Kalemi. Few careers in the lists are as long; fewer than 1 per cent of the 5,211 officials have entries spanning 45 years or more.
Pay rose from 30 kuruş a month in 1860/61 to a peak of 750 in 1876/77, in the Tahsilat Kalemi in Istanbul, when 63 per cent of paid officials earned less. Over 45 years the salaries add up to 272,340 kuruş, about what an official on the median salary earned. The peak was 25 times the first salary, a rise matched by fewer than 4 per cent of the 2,859 officials paid for ten years or more. The last annual entry is for 1903/04.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1860/61 | 30 | 500 | 0% | |
| 1861/62 | 30 | 600 | 0% | |
| 1862/63 | 100 | 500 | 2% | |
| 1863/64 | 100 | 500 | 0% | |
| 1864/65 | 100 | 625 | 0% | |
| 1865/66 | 100 | 650 | 0% | |
| 1866/67 | 100 | 600 | 0% | |
| 1867/68 | 100 | 600 | 0% | |
| 1868/69 | 100 | 600 | 0% | |
| 1869/70 | 100 | 600 | 0% | |
| 1870/71 | 300 | 600 | 12% | |
| 1871/72 | 500 | 550 | 45% | |
| 1872/73 | 650 | 550 | 59% | |
| 1873/74 | 615 | 500 | 615 | 59% |
| 1874/75 | 700 | 535 | 60% | |
| 1875/76 | 700 | 530 | 750 | 61% |
| 1876/77 | 750 | 582.5 | 750 | 63% |
| 1877/78 | 750 | 560 | 750 | 65% |
| 1878 | 750 | 600 | 750 | 61% |
| 1878/79 | 750 | 600 | 750 | 63% |
| 1879/80 | 600 | 500 | 600 | 61% |
| 1880/81 | 600 | 500 | 600 | 60% |
| 1881/82 | 600 | 500 | 600 | 60% |
| 1882/83 | 600 | 500 | 600 | 59% |
| 1883/84 | 600 | 500 | 600 | 59% |
| 1884/85 | 600 | 500 | 600 | 59% |
| 1885/86 | 600 | 500 | 600 | 58% |
| 1886/87 | 600 | 500 | 600 | 59% |
| 1887/88 | 600 | 500 | 600 | 58% |
| 1888/89 | 650 | 500 | 600 | 70% |
| 1889/90 | 650 | 500 | 600 | 71% |
| 1890/91 | 650 | 500 | 600 | 71% |
| 1891/92 | 650 | 500 | 600 | 71% |
| 1892/93 | 650 | 500 | 600 | 71% |
| 1893/94 | 650 | 500 | 625 | 72% |
| 1894/95 | 650 | 500 | 400 | 72% |
| 1895/96 | 650 | 500 | 400 | 72% |
| 1896/97 | 585 | 500 | 400 | 72% |
| 1897/98 | 585 | 500 | 400 | 72% |
| 1898/99 | 600 | 500 | 400 | 72% |
| 1899/1900 | 600 | 500 | 400 | 70% |
| 1900/01 | 600 | 500 | 400 | 67% |
| 1901/02 | 600 | 500 | 400 | 67% |
| 1902/03 | 600 | 500 | 380 | 67% |
| 1903/04 | 600 | 475 | 67% |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1860/61AH 1277 | Evrak Kalemifirst work | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 30first-salary field |
| 1860/61AH 1277 | Evrak Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 30 |
| 1861 to 1869AH 1278 to 1285 | Evrak Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 30 to 100 |
| 1869/70AH 1286 | Evrak Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 100 |
| 1870 to 1894AH 1287 to 1311 | Tahsilat Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 300 to 650 |
| 1894 to 1903AH 1312 to 1320 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 650 to 600 |
| 1903/04AH 1321 | Tahsilat Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 600 |
Record#
Personal
- Born
- 1841/42 (AH 1257)
- Birthplace
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- Community
- Muslim (Müslüman)
- Nationality as recorded
- Turkish
- Father's occupation
- Memur
Education
- Primary
- Sıbyan Mektebi (4 years)school for young children (primary school)
- Unpaid years (mülazemet)
- 0 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
- French
- Kitabetwriting
The glosses are cautious historical readings of the recorded words, not modern levels of proficiency.
First work
- Year
- 1860/61 (AH 1277)
- Place
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- First job as worded
- Evrak Kalemi
- Age at first work (workbook field)
- 15
- First salary field (kuruş a month)
- 30
- First-job salary of the original workbook (kuruş a month)
- 30
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 1,456 officials with entries in Istanbul in the same years, Mehmed Şemsi Efendi had the 643rd highest salary.
- Ali Kaya Bey45 shared years; highest salary 2,500 kuruş
- Unnamed official (5_316; 629)45 shared years; highest salary 1,100 kuruş
- Mehmet Salim Bey44 shared years; highest salary 3,000 kuruş
- Mehmet Hayri Bey42 shared years; highest salary 5,500 kuruş
- Melkok Efendi42 shared years; highest salary 5,000 kuruş
Same job title, same years
Of the 26 officials with the title Tahsilat Kalemi in the same years, Mehmed Şemsi Efendi had the 12th highest salary.
- Sezar Lanse Efendi23 shared years; highest salary 650 kuruş
- Hacı Mehmet Ali Efendi19 shared years; highest salary 2,500 kuruş
- Ali Rıza Efendi15 shared years; highest salary 1,250 kuruş
- Mustafa Kâmil Bey15 shared years; highest salary 750 kuruş
- Unnamed official (0081_0143, sayfa no:283.)12 shared years; highest salary 1,850 kuruş
Same school
Of the 746 officials with Sıbyan Mektebi among their schools, 745 have a recorded salary; Mehmed Şemsi Efendi had the 331st highest salary of them.
- Abdullah Nafiz Beyborn 1841/42 (AH 1257); highest salary 3,000 kuruş
- Ahmet Hamdi Efendiborn 1841/42 (AH 1257); highest salary 640 kuruş
- Ahmet Tevfik Efendiborn 1841/42 (AH 1257); highest salary 700 kuruş
- Ali Efendiborn 1841/42 (AH 1257); highest salary 800 kuruş
- Bekir Sami Efendiborn 1841/42 (AH 1257); highest salary 800 kuruş
Same birthplace
Of the 1,999 officials born in Istanbul, 1,997 have a recorded salary; Mehmed Şemsi Efendi had the 625th highest salary of them.
- Ahmet Mehmet Efendiborn 1841/42 (AH 1257); highest salary 1,000 kuruş
- Aleksan Efendiborn 1841/42 (AH 1257); highest salary 800 kuruş
- Halil Efendiborn 1841/42 (AH 1257); highest salary 800 kuruş
- İlya Dakos Efendiborn 1841/42 (AH 1257); highest salary 800 kuruş
- İsmail İsmet Efendiborn 1841/42 (AH 1257); highest salary 600 kuruş
First annual entry in the same year
Of the 38 officials whose first annual entry is for 1860/61 (AH 1277), Mehmed Şemsi Efendi had the 36th highest salary.
- Apostolaki Cizli Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 1,440 kuruş
- Hacı Osman Nuri Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 1,250 kuruş
- Ömer Tahir Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 2,000 kuruş
- Mustafa Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 1,440 kuruş
- Mustafa Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 1,200 kuruş
Full record
Annual entries (45)
| Year | Title | Place | Kuruş a month | Institution | Source | Archive reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1860/61AH 1277 | Evrak Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 30 | Other | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 0100_0035; 67 |
| 1861/62AH 1278 | Evrak Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 30 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0100_0035; 67 |
| 1862/63AH 1279 | Evrak Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 100 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0100_0035; 67 |
| 1863/64AH 1280 | Evrak Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 100 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0100_0035; 67 |
| 1864/65AH 1281 | Evrak Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 100 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0100_0035; 67 |
| 1865/66AH 1282 | Evrak Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 100 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0100_0035; 67 |
| 1866/67AH 1283 | Evrak Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 100 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0100_0035; 67 |
| 1867/68AH 1284 | Evrak Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 100 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0100_0035; 67 |
| 1868/69AH 1285 | Evrak Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 100 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0100_0035; 67 |
| 1869/70AH 1286 | Evrak Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 100 | Other | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 0100_0035; 67 |
| 1870/71AH 1287 | Tahsilat Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 300 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0100_0035; 67 |
| 1871/72AH 1288 | Tahsilat Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0100_0035; 67 |
| 1872/73AH 1289 | Tahsilat Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 650 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0100_0035; 67 |
| 1873/74AH 1290 | Tahsilat Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 615 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0100_0035; 67 |
| 1874/75AH 1291 | Tahsilat Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 700 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0100_0035; 67 |
| 1875/76AH 1292 | Tahsilat Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 700 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0100_0035; 67 |
| 1876/77AH 1293 | Tahsilat Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 750 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0100_0035; 67 |
| 1877/78AH 1294 | Tahsilat Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 750 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0100_0035; 67 |
| 1878AH 1295 | Tahsilat Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 750 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0100_0035; 67 |
| 1878/79AH 1296 | Tahsilat Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 750 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0100_0035; 67 |
| 1879/80AH 1297 | Tahsilat Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0100_0035; 67 |
| 1880/81AH 1298 | Tahsilat Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0100_0035; 67 |
| 1881/82AH 1299 | Tahsilat Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0100_0035; 67 |
| 1882/83AH 1300 | Tahsilat Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0100_0035; 67 |
| 1883/84AH 1301 | Tahsilat Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0100_0035; 67 |
| 1884/85AH 1302 | Tahsilat Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0100_0035; 67 |
| 1885/86AH 1303 | Tahsilat Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0100_0035; 67 |
| 1886/87AH 1304 | Tahsilat Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0100_0035; 67 |
| 1887/88AH 1305 | Tahsilat Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0100_0035; 67 |
| 1888/89AH 1306 | Tahsilat Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 650 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0100_0035; 67 |
| 1889/90AH 1307 | Tahsilat Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 650 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0100_0035; 67 |
| 1890/91AH 1308 | Tahsilat Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 650 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0100_0035; 67 |
| 1891/92AH 1309 | Tahsilat Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 650 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0100_0035; 67 |
| 1892/93AH 1310 | Tahsilat Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 650 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0100_0035; 67 |
| 1893/94AH 1311 | Tahsilat Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 650 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0100_0035; 67 |
| 1894/95AH 1312 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 650 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0100_0035; 67 |
| 1895/96AH 1313 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 650 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0100_0035; 67 |
| 1896/97AH 1314 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 585 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0100_0035; 67 |
| 1897/98AH 1315 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 585 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0100_0035; 67 |
| 1898/99AH 1316 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0100_0035; 67 |
| 1899/1900AH 1317 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0100_0035; 67 |
| 1900/01AH 1318 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0100_0035; 67 |
| 1901/02AH 1319 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0100_0035; 67 |
| 1902/03AH 1320 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0100_0035; 67 |
| 1903/04AH 1321 | Tahsilat Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0100_0035; 67 |
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 | Mehmed Şemsi Efendi | Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Linked personnel workbook |
| Birth year (AH) | 1257 | 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 | Memur | 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 |
| 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) | 1277 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Linked personnel workbook |
| First work: Gregorian year as stored | 1860 | 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 | Evrak Kalemi | Linked personnel workbook; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Age at first work (workbook field) | 15 | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First salary field (kuruş a month) | 30 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First-job salary of the original workbook (kuruş a month) | 30 | 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.
- 35 annual entries of 45 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
- Mehmed Şemsi Efendi
- Collections office (Tahsilat Kalemi)
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- School for young children (Sıbyan Mektebi)
- Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf)
- Muslim (Müslüman)
- Documents office (Evrak 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)