Official
Mustafa Hamdi Bey
Muslim (Müslüman). Born in Istanbul (Dersaadet) in 1846/47 (AH 1263). On record 1863 to 1901, 39 annual entries. Death recorded 1901/02.
Archive reference 5_111; 219
Life#
Mustafa Hamdi Bey was born in Istanbul in 1846/47 (AH 1263) into the Muslim (Müslüman) community; the father was a regimental quartermaster (alay emini). Schooling took seven years, at a middle school (Rüşdiye Mektebi); Mustafa Hamdi also attended the telegraph school.
Work began in Istanbul in 1862/63, at about 16, with one unpaid year as a mülazım (apprentice) before a first salary of 380 kuruş. Every annual entry from 1863/64 to 1900/01 places Mustafa Hamdi in Istanbul, the birthplace, first in the dispatch office (Sevk Kalemi), from 1873/74 in the correspondence office (Tahrirat Kalemi). Only 11 per cent of the 775 officials whose entries span 30 years or more stayed in one place throughout. Entries spanning 39 years are rare, reached by fewer than 4 per cent of the 5,211 officials.
The salary went from 380 kuruş a month in 1863/64 to 1,050 in 1900/01, the peak, in the Tahrirat Kalemi in Istanbul, when nine in ten paid officials earned less. In all, 39 years of salary come to 380,520 kuruş, 1.5 times what an official on the median salary earned in those years. The last annual entry is for 1900/01; the list of 1901/02 (AH 1319) 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.
The numbers of the chart
| Year | Salary | Median, all officials | Median, same title | Paid less |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1863/64 | 380 | 500 | 23% | |
| 1864/65 | 380 | 625 | 19% | |
| 1865/66 | 400 | 650 | 20% | |
| 1866/67 | 500 | 600 | 39% | |
| 1867/68 | 500 | 600 | 40% | |
| 1868/69 | 600 | 600 | 47% | |
| 1869/70 | 600 | 600 | 48% | |
| 1870/71 | 700 | 600 | 467 | 58% |
| 1871/72 | 700 | 550 | 560 | 61% |
| 1872/73 | 800 | 550 | 600 | 70% |
| 1873/74 | 800 | 500 | 400 | 70% |
| 1874/75 | 900 | 535 | 420 | 75% |
| 1875/76 | 900 | 530 | 700 | 75% |
| 1876/77 | 1,000 | 582.5 | 600 | 77% |
| 1877/78 | 1,000 | 560 | 700 | 79% |
| 1878 | 1,000 | 600 | 900 | 76% |
| 1878/79 | 1,000 | 600 | 700 | 77% |
| 1879/80 | 800 | 500 | 450 | 77% |
| 1880/81 | 800 | 500 | 460 | 76% |
| 1881/82 | 800 | 500 | 480 | 77% |
| 1882/83 | 800 | 500 | 500 | 76% |
| 1883/84 | 800 | 500 | 580 | 76% |
| 1884/85 | 800 | 500 | 600 | 76% |
| 1885/86 | 800 | 500 | 600 | 77% |
| 1886/87 | 800 | 500 | 580 | 77% |
| 1887/88 | 800 | 500 | 620 | 76% |
| 1888/89 | 850 | 500 | 600 | 82% |
| 1889/90 | 850 | 500 | 500 | 83% |
| 1890/91 | 850 | 500 | 450 | 83% |
| 1891/92 | 850 | 500 | 500 | 84% |
| 1892/93 | 900 | 500 | 600 | 85% |
| 1893/94 | 1,000 | 500 | 545 | 87% |
| 1894/95 | 1,000 | 500 | 650 | 87% |
| 1895/96 | 1,000 | 500 | 800 | 87% |
| 1896/97 | 1,000 | 500 | 720 | 90% |
| 1897/98 | 1,000 | 500 | 720 | 90% |
| 1898/99 | 1,000 | 500 | 800 | 90% |
| 1899/1900 | 1,000 | 500 | 745 | 88% |
| 1900/01 | 1,050 | 500 | 705 | 90% |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1862/63AH 1279 | First work | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 380first-salary field |
| 1863 to 1873AH 1280 to 1289 | Sevk Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 380 to 800 |
| 1873 to 1901AH 1290 to 1318 | Tahrirat Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 800 to 1,050 |
| 1901/02AH 1319 | Death recorded | ||
Record#
Personal
- Born
- 1846/47 (AH 1263)
- Birthplace
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- Community
- Muslim (Müslüman)
- Nationality as recorded
- Turkish
- Father's occupation
- Alay Emini
- Death recorded
- 1901/02 (AH 1319)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)
- Higher or professional
- Telgraf Mektebitelegraph school; recorded as a code
- 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
- Turkish
- Kitabetwriting
The glosses are cautious historical readings of the recorded words, not modern levels of proficiency.
First work
- Year
- 1862/63 (AH 1279)
- Place
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- First salary field (kuruş a month)
- 380
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 1,297 officials with entries in Istanbul in the same years, Mustafa Hamdi Bey had the 382nd highest salary.
- Melkok Efendi39 shared years; highest salary 5,000 kuruş
- Mehmet Salim Bey39 shared years; highest salary 3,000 kuruş
- Ali Kaya Bey39 shared years; highest salary 2,500 kuruş
- Unnamed official (5_316; 629)39 shared years; highest salary 1,100 kuruş
- Hasan Tahsin Efendi39 shared years; highest salary 900 kuruş
Same job title, same years
Of the 81 officials with the title Tahrirat Kalemi in the same years, Mustafa Hamdi Bey had the 26th highest salary.
- Hacı Bekir Efendi29 shared years; highest salary 1,200 kuruş
- Mehmet Fehmi Efendi26 shared years; highest salary 1,100 kuruş
- Komidas Efendi26 shared years; highest salary 875 kuruş
- Mustafa Akif Efendi24 shared years; highest salary 1,400 kuruş
- Unnamed official (0006_0303; 601)21 shared years; highest salary 1,200 kuruş
Same school
Of the 3,206 officials with Rüşdiye Mektebi among their schools, 3,200 have a recorded salary; Mustafa Hamdi Bey had the 283rd highest salary of them.
- Abdullah Hilmi Efendiborn 1846/47 (AH 1263); highest salary 1,500 kuruş
- Abdullah Hilmi Efendiborn 1846/47 (AH 1263); highest salary 1,500 kuruş
- Ahmet Besim Efendiborn 1846/47 (AH 1263); highest salary 500 kuruş
- Ahmet Hamdi Efendiborn 1846/47 (AH 1263); highest salary 800 kuruş
- Ahmet Reşid Beyborn 1846/47 (AH 1263); highest salary 1,200 kuruş
Same birthplace
Of the 1,999 officials born in Istanbul, 1,997 have a recorded salary; Mustafa Hamdi Bey had the 347th highest salary of them.
- Ahmet Faik Efendiborn 1846/47 (AH 1263); highest salary 1,170 kuruş
- Ahmet Hamdi Efendiborn 1846/47 (AH 1263); highest salary 800 kuruş
- Ahmet Reşid Beyborn 1846/47 (AH 1263); highest salary 1,200 kuruş
- Avadis Şalcıyan Efendiborn 1846/47 (AH 1263); highest salary 1,000 kuruş
- Cemal Efendiborn 1846/47 (AH 1263); highest salary 1,000 kuruş
First annual entry in the same year
Of the 43 officials whose first annual entry is for 1863/64 (AH 1280), Mustafa Hamdi Bey had the 23rd highest salary.
- Melkok Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 5,000 kuruş
- Ahmet Rifat Beyfirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 4,000 kuruş
- Mehmet İzzet Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 1,200 kuruş
- Ahmet Rıfat Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 650 kuruş
- Ahmet Tevfik Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 700 kuruş
Full record
Annual entries (39)
| Year | Title | Place | Kuruş a month | Institution | Source | Archive reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1863/64AH 1280 | Sevk Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 380 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_111; 219 |
| 1864/65AH 1281 | Sevk Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 380 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_111; 219 |
| 1865/66AH 1282 | Sevk Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_111; 219 |
| 1866/67AH 1283 | Sevk Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_111; 219 |
| 1867/68AH 1284 | Sevk Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_111; 219 |
| 1868/69AH 1285 | Sevk Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_111; 219 |
| 1869/70AH 1286 | Sevk Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_111; 219 |
| 1870/71AH 1287 | Sevk Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 700 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_111; 219 |
| 1871/72AH 1288 | Sevk Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 700 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_111; 219 |
| 1872/73AH 1289 | Sevk Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 800 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_111; 219 |
| 1873/74AH 1290 | Tahrirat Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 800 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_111; 219 |
| 1874/75AH 1291 | Tahrirat Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 900 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_111; 219 |
| 1875/76AH 1292 | Tahrirat Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 900 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_111; 219 |
| 1876/77AH 1293 | Tahrirat Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 1,000 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_111; 219 |
| 1877/78AH 1294 | Tahrirat Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 1,000 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_111; 219 |
| 1878AH 1295 | Tahrirat Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 1,000 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_111; 219 |
| 1878/79AH 1296 | Tahrirat Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 1,000 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_111; 219 |
| 1879/80AH 1297 | Tahrirat Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 800 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_111; 219 |
| 1880/81AH 1298 | Tahrirat Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 800 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_111; 219 |
| 1881/82AH 1299 | Tahrirat Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 800 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_111; 219 |
| 1882/83AH 1300 | Tahrirat Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 800 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_111; 219 |
| 1883/84AH 1301 | Tahrirat Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 800 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_111; 219 |
| 1884/85AH 1302 | Tahrirat Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 800 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_111; 219 |
| 1885/86AH 1303 | Tahrirat Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 800 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_111; 219 |
| 1886/87AH 1304 | Tahrirat Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 800 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_111; 219 |
| 1887/88AH 1305 | Tahrirat Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 800 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_111; 219 |
| 1888/89AH 1306 | Tahrirat Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 850 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_111; 219 |
| 1889/90AH 1307 | Tahrirat Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 850 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_111; 219 |
| 1890/91AH 1308 | Tahrirat Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 850 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_111; 219 |
| 1891/92AH 1309 | Tahrirat Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 850 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_111; 219 |
| 1892/93AH 1310 | Tahrirat Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 900 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_111; 219 |
| 1893/94AH 1311 | Tahrirat Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 1,000 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_111; 219 |
| 1894/95AH 1312 | Tahrirat Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 1,000 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_111; 219 |
| 1895/96AH 1313 | Tahrirat Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 1,000 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_111; 219 |
| 1896/97AH 1314 | Tahrirat Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 1,000 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_111; 219 |
| 1897/98AH 1315 | Tahrirat Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 1,000 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_111; 219 |
| 1898/99AH 1316 | Tahrirat Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 1,000 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_111; 219 |
| 1899/1900AH 1317 | Tahrirat Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 1,000 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_111; 219 |
| 1900/01AH 1318 | Tahrirat Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 1,050 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_111; 219 |
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 (16)
| Field | Recorded value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | ||
| Name | Mustafa Hamdi Bey | Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Birth year (AH) | 1263 | 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 | alay emini | 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 |
| Telegraph school (recorded code) | 1 | 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) | 1279 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First work: Gregorian year as stored | 1862 | Recovered annual personnel extract |
| First work: place | istanbul | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First salary field (kuruş a month) | 380 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Status | ||
| Death recorded under the year (AH) | 1319 | 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.
- 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.
- Origin of the record: Post and Telegraph personnel records.
- 32 annual entries of 39 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
- Mustafa Hamdi Bey
- Correspondence office (Tahrirat Kalemi)
- 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)