Official
Mahmud Hamdi Efendi
Muslim (Müslüman). Born in Istanbul (Dersaadet) in 1848/49 (AH 1265). On record 1869 to 1894, 21 annual entries. Death recorded 1894/95.
Archive reference 58- 0049;95
Life#
Born in Istanbul in 1848/49 (AH 1265), Mahmud Hamdi Efendi came from the Muslim (Müslüman) community; the father was a district governor or lieutenant colonel (kaymakam). Schooling took seven years, at a middle school (Rüşdiye Mektebi); Mahmud Hamdi also attended the telegraph school, and wrote Turkish and spoke French.
Work began in Istanbul in 1868/69, at about 19, with one unpaid year as a mülazım (apprentice) before a first salary of 400 kuruş. The annual lists begin in 1869/70, with Mahmud Hamdi as a communications official (Muhabere Memuru) in Gaziantep (Antep). Mahmud Hamdi then moved to Bilecik from 1872 to 1876, then Prijepolje (Prepol) from 1876 to 1880. The annual lists then follow Mahmud Hamdi to Hakkâri (Çölemerik), Kırklareli and Istanbul from 1881 to 1890, with a rise to Muhabere Memuru in 1881/82. The last posts were in Harire from 1890 to 1894, with a rise to director of the second grade (2. Müdür). 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.
Pay rose from 400 kuruş a month in 1869/70 to a peak of 1,000 in 1890/91, as 2. Müdür in Harire, when 86 per cent of paid officials earned less. The last annual entry is for 1893/94; the list of 1894/95 (AH 1312) 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 1848/49 (AH 1265); First work 1868/69 (AH 1285)
1872 to 1876 (AH 1289 to 1292)
No annual entry for 1871/72 (AH 1288) before it.
450 kuruş a month; entries in 4 years
1876 to 1880 (AH 1293 to 1297)
570 to 600 kuruş a month; entries in 5 years
1881/82 (AH 1299)
No annual entry for 1880/81 (AH 1298) before it.
600 kuruş a month; entries in 1 year
1889/90 (AH 1307)
No annual entry for 1886 to 1889 (AH 1304 to 1306) before it.
300 kuruş a month; entries in 1 year
1890 to 1894 (AH 1308 to 1311)
2. Müdür 1890 to 1892 (AH 1308 to 1309); Muhabere Memuru 1892 to 1894 (AH 1310 to 1311)
800 to 1,000 kuruş a month; entries in 4 years
Death recorded in the annual list of 1894/95 (AH 1312): 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1869/70 | 400 | 600 | 400 | 18% |
| 1870/71 | 400 | 600 | 400 | 20% |
| 1872/73 | 450 | 550 | 450 | 35% |
| 1873/74 | 450 | 500 | 425 | 35% |
| 1874/75 | 450 | 535 | 480 | 32% |
| 1875/76 | 450 | 530 | 500 | 34% |
| 1876/77 | 600 | 582.5 | 600 | 50% |
| 1877/78 | 600 | 560 | 600 | 50% |
| 1878 | 600 | 600 | 600 | 46% |
| 1878/79 | 600 | 600 | 600 | 47% |
| 1879/80 | 570 | 500 | 600 | 58% |
| 1881/82 | 600 | 500 | 400 | 60% |
| 1882/83 | 800 | 500 | 800 | 76% |
| 1883/84 | 800 | 500 | 800 | 76% |
| 1884/85 | 800 | 500 | 800 | 76% |
| 1885/86 | 800 | 500 | 800 | 77% |
| 1889/90 | 300 | 500 | 400 | 14% |
| 1890/91 | 1,000 | 500 | 800 | 86% |
| 1891/92 | 1,000 | 500 | 800 | 86% |
| 1892/93 | 800 | 500 | 400 | 80% |
| 1893/94 | 800 | 500 | 400 | 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1868/69AH 1285 | First work | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 400first-salary field |
| 1869 to 1871AH 1286 to 1287 | Muhabere Memuru | Gaziantep (Antep) | 400 |
| No annual entry: 1871/72 (AH 1288) | |||
| 1872 to 1876AH 1289 to 1292 | Merkez Memuru | Bilecik | 450 |
| 1876 to 1880AH 1293 to 1297 | 3. Müdür | Prijepolje (Prepol) | 600 to 570 |
| No annual entry: 1880/81 (AH 1298) | |||
| 1881/82AH 1299 | Muhabere Memuru | Hakkâri (Çölemerik) | 600 |
| 1882 to 1886AH 1300 to 1303 | 2. Müdür | Kırklareli | 800 |
| No annual entry: 1886 to 1889 (AH 1304 to 1306) | |||
| 1889/90AH 1307 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 300 |
| 1890 to 1892AH 1308 to 1309 | 2. Müdür | Harire | 1,000 |
| 1892 to 1894AH 1310 to 1311 | Muhabere Memuru | Harire | 800 |
| 1894/95AH 1312 | Death recorded | ||
Record#
Personal
- Born
- 1848/49 (AH 1265)
- Birthplace
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- Community
- Muslim (Müslüman)
- Nationality as recorded
- Turkish
- Father's occupation
- Kaymakam
- Death recorded
- 1894/95 (AH 1312)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
- French
- Tekellumspeaking
- Turkish
- Kitabetwriting
The glosses are cautious historical readings of the recorded words, not modern levels of proficiency.
First work
- Year
- 1868/69 (AH 1285)
- Place
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- First salary field (kuruş a month)
- 400
Legal records
- Legal record note as worded
- Edepsizlik/ atide memuriyetinden dolayı azil; Görev ihmali / muhaberatı sekte-dar eylediğinden azil edilerek; Görev İhmali; Memuriyete Uymayan Hal ve Hareketler
- Years (AH) with a criminal-record mark in the annual records
- 1299; 1300; 1301; 1302; 1303; 1307; 1308; 1309; 1311
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 7 officials with entries in Bilecik in the same years, Mahmud Hamdi Efendi had the 2nd highest salary.
- Mehmet Kadri Efendi4 shared years; highest salary 1,000 kuruş
- Mehmet Rifat Efendi4 shared years; highest salary 600 kuruş
- Ahmet Fuat Bey3 shared years; highest salary 1,000 kuruş
- Mehmet Yunus Efendi3 shared years; highest salary 800 kuruş
- Hacı Mustafa Nuri Efendi1 shared year; highest salary 1,500 kuruş
Same job title, same years
Of the 1,346 officials with the title Muhabere Memuru in the same years, Mahmud Hamdi Efendi had the 178th highest salary.
- Süleyman Reşid Efendi6 shared years; highest salary 2,500 kuruş
- Tahir Efendi6 shared years; highest salary 1,500 kuruş
- Nikola Yunani Efendi6 shared years; highest salary 1,350 kuruş
- Mehmet Nazım Efendi6 shared years; highest salary 1,300 kuruş
- Şarl Laze Efendi6 shared years; highest salary 1,250 kuruş
Same school
Of the 3,206 officials with Rüşdiye Mektebi among their schools, 3,200 have a recorded salary; Mahmud Hamdi Efendi had the 289th highest salary of them.
- Ahmed Rıfat Efendiborn 1848/49 (AH 1265); highest salary 1,200 kuruş
- Ahmed Sadık Efendiborn 1848/49 (AH 1265); highest salary 1,200 kuruş
- Ahmet Tevfik Efendiborn 1848/49 (AH 1265); highest salary 950 kuruş
- Ali Afif Efendiborn 1848/49 (AH 1265); highest salary 1,000 kuruş
- Cafer Sadık Efendiborn 1848/49 (AH 1265); highest salary 750 kuruş
Same birthplace
Of the 1,999 officials born in Istanbul, 1,997 have a recorded salary; Mahmud Hamdi Efendi had the 354th highest salary of them.
- Ahmed Rıfat Efendiborn 1848/49 (AH 1265); highest salary 1,200 kuruş
- Ahmed Sadık Efendiborn 1848/49 (AH 1265); highest salary 1,200 kuruş
- Ali Afif Efendiborn 1848/49 (AH 1265); highest salary 1,000 kuruş
- Ali Nafiz Efendiborn 1848/49 (AH 1265); highest salary 750 kuruş
- Andon Körkis Efendiborn 1848/49 (AH 1265); highest salary 800 kuruş
First annual entry in the same year
Of the 116 officials whose first annual entry is for 1869/70 (AH 1286), Mahmud Hamdi Efendi had the 37th highest salary.
- Ahmet Tevfik Efendifirst entry in Sofia (Sofya); highest salary 950 kuruş
- Anderya Papa Dopli Efendifirst entry in Thessaloniki (Selanik); highest salary 600 kuruş
- Bezui Toma Efendifirst entry in Mosul (Musul); highest salary 1,200 kuruş
- Dorkani Efendifirst entry in Gelibolu; highest salary 600 kuruş
- Emin Kami Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 1,200 kuruş
Full record
Annual entries (21)
| Year | Title | Place | Kuruş a month | Institution | Source | Archive reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1869/70AH 1286 | Muhabere Memuru | Gaziantep (Antep) | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 0049;95 |
| 1870/71AH 1287 | Muhabere Memuru | Gaziantep (Antep) | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 0049;95 |
| 1872/73AH 1289 | Merkez Memuru | Bilecik | 450 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 0049;95 |
| 1873/74AH 1290 | Merkez Memuru | Bilecik | 450 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 0049;95 |
| 1874/75AH 1291 | Merkez Memuru | Bilecik | 450 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 0049;95 |
| 1875/76AH 1292 | Merkez Memuru | Bilecik | 450 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 0049;95 |
| 1876/77AH 1293 | 3. Müdür | Prijepolje (Prepol) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 0049;95 |
| 1877/78AH 1294 | 3. Müdür | Prijepolje (Prepol) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 0049;95 |
| 1878AH 1295 | 3. Müdür | Prijepolje (Prepol) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 0049;95 |
| 1878/79AH 1296 | 3. Müdür | Prijepolje (Prepol) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 0049;95 |
| 1879/80AH 1297 | 3. Müdür | Prijepolje (Prepol) | 570 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 0049;95 |
| 1881/82AH 1299 | Muhabere Memuru | Hakkâri (Çölemerik) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 0049;95 |
| 1882/83AH 1300 | 2. Müdür | Kırklareli | 800 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 0049;95 |
| 1883/84AH 1301 | 2. Müdür | Kırklareli | 800 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 0049;95 |
| 1884/85AH 1302 | 2. Müdür | Kırklareli | 800 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 0049;95 |
| 1885/86AH 1303 | 2. Müdür | Kırklareli | 800 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 0049;95 |
| 1889/90AH 1307 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 300 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 0049;95 |
| 1890/91AH 1308 | 2. Müdür | Harire | 1,000 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 0049;95 |
| 1891/92AH 1309 | 2. Müdür | Harire | 1,000 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 0049;95 |
| 1892/93AH 1310 | Muhabere Memuru | Harire | 800 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 0049;95 |
| 1893/94AH 1311 | Muhabere Memuru | Harire | 800 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 0049;95 |
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 (21)
| Field | Recorded value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | ||
| Name | Mahmud Hamdi Efendi | Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Birth year (AH) | 1265 | 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 | kaymakam | 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) | 1285 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First work: Gregorian year as stored | 1868 | 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) | 400 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Legal records | ||
| Legal record note as worded | Edepsizlik/ atide memuriyetinden dolayı azil used on this page | Legal notes (earlier workbook copy); Legal notes (later workbook copy) |
| Legal record note as worded | Görev ihmali / muhaberatı sekte-dar eylediğinden azil edilerek other value | Legal notes (earlier workbook copy); Legal notes (later workbook copy) |
| Legal record note as worded | Görev İhmali other value | Legal notes (earlier workbook copy); Legal notes (later workbook copy) |
| Legal record note as worded | Memuriyete Uymayan Hal ve Hareketler other value | Legal notes (earlier workbook copy); Legal notes (later workbook copy) |
| Years (AH) with a criminal-record mark in the annual records | 1299; 1300; 1301; 1302; 1303; 1307; 1308; 1309; 1311 | Later annual personnel extract |
| Status | ||
| Death recorded under the year (AH) | 1312 | 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.
- 20 annual entries of 21 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
- Mahmud Hamdi Efendi
- Communications official (Muhabere Memuru)
- Prijepolje (Prepol)
- 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)