Official
Simon Efendi
Armenian Christian (Ermeni). Born in Istanbul (Dersaadet) in 1852/53 (AH 1269). On record 1870 to 1900, 27 annual entries. Death recorded 1900/01.
Archive reference 58- 188;369
Life#
Born in Istanbul in 1852/53 (AH 1269), Simon Efendi came from the Armenian Christian (Ermeni) community. Schooling took four years, at a special school (Mekteb-i Mahsusa). Simon knew five languages, Arabic, French, Greek (Rum) and Turkish in writing and Italian in speech, a number reached by fewer than 2 per cent of the 5,211 officials.
Work began in Beyoğlu in 1870/71, at about 17, with half a year without pay as a mülazım (apprentice) before a first salary of 400 kuruş. The first annual entry, for 1870/71, places Simon in Nablus as an official for foreign communications (Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti). The annual lists then follow Simon to Çanakkale from 1871 to 1876, then Bitola in 1878, as a communications official (Muhabere Memuru), and Thessaloniki in 1878/79. Next came Suakin (Sevakin) from 1880 to 1888. From 1888 to 1900 every annual entry places Simon in Beyoğlu, first as Muhabere Memuru, from 1893/94 as Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti. 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.
The salary went from 400 kuruş a month in 1870/71 to 1,100 in 1899/1900, the peak, as Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti in Beyoğlu, when 91 per cent of paid officials earned less. After the last annual entry, for 1899/1900, the list of 1900/01 (AH 1318) 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 1852/53 (AH 1269)
First work 1870/71 (AH 1287)
1878 (AH 1295)
No annual entry for 1876 to 1878 (AH 1293 to 1294) before it.
600 kuruş a month; entries in 1 year
1880 to 1888 (AH 1298 to 1305)
No annual entry for 1879/80 (AH 1297) before it.
500 to 600 kuruş a month; entries in 7 years
No annual entry for 1885/86 (AH 1303).
1888 to 1900 (AH 1306 to 1317)
Muhabere Memuru 1888 to 1893 (AH 1306 to 1310); Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti 1893 to 1900 (AH 1311 to 1317)
675 to 1,100 kuruş a month; entries in 12 years
Death recorded in the annual list of 1900/01 (AH 1318): 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1870/71 | 400 | 600 | 600 | 20% |
| 1871/72 | 570 | 550 | 570 | 50% |
| 1872/73 | 570 | 550 | 585 | 50% |
| 1873/74 | 570 | 500 | 570 | 51% |
| 1874/75 | 570 | 535 | 650 | 51% |
| 1875/76 | 570 | 530 | 700 | 51% |
| 1878 | 600 | 600 | 500 | 46% |
| 1878/79 | 400 | 600 | 420 | 18% |
| 1880/81 | 500 | 500 | 400 | 47% |
| 1881/82 | 500 | 500 | 400 | 46% |
| 1882/83 | 500 | 500 | 400 | 43% |
| 1883/84 | 500 | 500 | 400 | 43% |
| 1884/85 | 500 | 500 | 400 | 42% |
| 1886/87 | 500 | 500 | 400 | 42% |
| 1887/88 | 600 | 500 | 400 | 58% |
| 1888/89 | 675 | 500 | 400 | 71% |
| 1889/90 | 675 | 500 | 400 | 72% |
| 1890/91 | 675 | 500 | 400 | 73% |
| 1891/92 | 675 | 500 | 400 | 73% |
| 1892/93 | 675 | 500 | 400 | 73% |
| 1893/94 | 700 | 500 | 500 | 74% |
| 1894/95 | 700 | 500 | 500 | 74% |
| 1895/96 | 800 | 500 | 500 | 80% |
| 1896/97 | 720 | 500 | 495 | 81% |
| 1897/98 | 720 | 500 | 480 | 81% |
| 1898/99 | 787 | 500 | 495 | 85% |
| 1899/1900 | 1,100 | 500 | 500 | 91% |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1870/71AH 1287 | First work | Beyoğlu | 400first-salary field |
| 1870/71AH 1287 | Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti | Nablus | 400 |
| 1871 to 1876AH 1288 to 1292 | Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti | Çanakkale | 570 |
| No annual entry: 1876 to 1878 (AH 1293 to 1294) | |||
| 1878AH 1295 | Muhabere Memuru | Bitola (Manastır) | 600 |
| 1878/79AH 1296 | Muhabere Memuru | Thessaloniki (Selanik) | 400 |
| No annual entry: 1879/80 (AH 1297) | |||
| 1880 to 1885AH 1298 to 1302 | Muhabere Memuru | Suakin (Sevakin) | 500 |
| No annual entry: 1885/86 (AH 1303) | |||
| 1886 to 1888AH 1304 to 1305 | Muhabere Memuru | Suakin (Sevakin) | 500 to 600 |
| 1888 to 1893AH 1306 to 1310 | Muhabere Memuru | Beyoğlu | 675 |
| 1893 to 1900AH 1311 to 1317 | Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti | Beyoğlu | 700 to 1,100 |
| 1900/01AH 1318 | Death recorded | ||
Record#
Personal
- Born
- 1852/53 (AH 1269)
- Birthplace
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- Community
- Armenian Christian (Ermeni)
- Nationality as recorded
- Ermeni
- Death recorded
- 1900/01 (AH 1318)the year of the annual list with the word Vefat, not a date of death
Education
- Other named school
- Mekteb-i Mahsusa (4 years)special school
- Unpaid years (mülazemet)
- 0.5 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
- Arabic
- Kitabetwriting
- French
- Kitabetwriting
- Italian
- Tekellumspeaking
- Greek (Rum)
- Kitabetwriting. Rum is the word of the records for Greek as spoken by the Orthodox Christians of the empire. It is kept apart from the column Greek, which the records also have
- Turkish
- Kitabetwriting
The glosses are cautious historical readings of the recorded words, not modern levels of proficiency.
First work
- Year
- 1870/71 (AH 1287)
- Place
- Beyoğlu
- First salary field (kuruş a month)
- 400
Legal records
- Legal record note as worded
- idaresizlikten / vazife-i Memuriyetini hakkıyla ifa etmediğine naşi azl edilip taht-ı muhakeme etmemiş; İdaresizlikten
- Years (AH) with a criminal-record mark in the annual records
- 1295; 1296; 1298; 1299; 1300; 1301; 1302; 1304; 1305; 1306; 1307; 1308; 1310; 1311; 1312; 1313; 1314; 1315; 1316; 1317
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 229 officials with entries in Beyoğlu in the same years, Simon Efendi had the 50th highest salary.
- Muftuzade Mehmet Hilmi Efendi12 shared years; highest salary 10,000 kuruş
- Paskal Mıgırdıç Kazancıyan Efendi12 shared years; highest salary 2,905 kuruş
- Melkon Berhadar Efendi12 shared years; highest salary 1,500 kuruş
- Nikola Yunani Efendi12 shared years; highest salary 1,350 kuruş
- Garon Efendi12 shared years; highest salary 1,300 kuruş
Same job title, same years
Of the 1,327 officials with the title Muhabere Memuru in the same years, Simon Efendi had the 159th highest salary.
- Mustafa Enver Efendi14 shared years; highest salary 2,000 kuruş
- Tahir Efendi14 shared years; highest salary 1,500 kuruş
- Nikola Yunani Efendi14 shared years; highest salary 1,350 kuruş
- Mehmet Nazım Efendi14 shared years; highest salary 1,300 kuruş
- Taşçıyan Markar Efendi14 shared years; highest salary 1,300 kuruş
Same school
Of the 38 officials with Mekteb-i Mahsusa among their schools, Simon Efendi had the 5th highest salary.
- Alber Efendiborn 1852/53 (AH 1269); highest salary 700 kuruş
- Dikran Arakilyan Efendiborn 1851/52 (AH 1268); highest salary 1,300 kuruş
- Habib Efendiborn 1850/51 (AH 1267); highest salary 600 kuruş
- Süleyman Doryan Efendiborn 1848/49 (AH 1265); highest salary 1,650 kuruş
- Osep Parladı Efendiborn 1847/48 (AH 1264); highest salary 1,000 kuruş
Same birthplace
Of the 1,999 officials born in Istanbul, 1,997 have a recorded salary; Simon Efendi had the 325th highest salary of them.
- Abdurrahman Serafettin Efendiborn 1852/53 (AH 1269); highest salary 25,000 kuruş
- Ahmet Muhtar Efendiborn 1852/53 (AH 1269); highest salary 2,500 kuruş
- Ahmet Refet Efendiborn 1852/53 (AH 1269); highest salary 3,000 kuruş
- Ali Galip Efendiborn 1852/53 (AH 1269); highest salary 600 kuruş
- Ali Rıza Efendiborn 1852/53 (AH 1269); highest salary 1,200 kuruş
First annual entry in the same year
Of the 66 officials whose first annual entry is for 1870/71 (AH 1287), Simon Efendi had the 22nd highest salary.
- Hasan Nazmi Efendifirst entry in Thessaloniki (Selanik); highest salary 670 kuruş
- Mehmed Seyfi Efendifirst entry in Skopje (Üsküp); highest salary 600 kuruş
- Mehmet Nazmi Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 600 kuruş
- Mehmet Rauf Efendifirst entry in Artvin (Livane); highest salary 1,200 kuruş
- Taşçıyan Markar Efendifirst entry in Beyoğlu; highest salary 1,300 kuruş
Full record
Annual entries (27)
| Year | Title | Place | Kuruş a month | Institution | Source | Archive reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1870/71AH 1287 | Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti | Nablus | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 188;369 |
| 1871/72AH 1288 | Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti | Çanakkale | 570 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 188;369 |
| 1872/73AH 1289 | Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti | Çanakkale | 570 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 188;369 |
| 1873/74AH 1290 | Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti | Çanakkale | 570 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 188;369 |
| 1874/75AH 1291 | Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti | Çanakkale | 570 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 188;369 |
| 1875/76AH 1292 | Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti | Çanakkale | 570 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 188;369 |
| 1878AH 1295 | Muhabere Memuru | Bitola (Manastır) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 188;369 |
| 1878/79AH 1296 | Muhabere Memuru | Thessaloniki (Selanik) | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 188;369 |
| 1880/81AH 1298 | Muhabere Memuru | Suakin (Sevakin) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 188;369 |
| 1881/82AH 1299 | Muhabere Memuru | Suakin (Sevakin) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 188;369 |
| 1882/83AH 1300 | Muhabere Memuru | Suakin (Sevakin) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 188;369 |
| 1883/84AH 1301 | Muhabere Memuru | Suakin (Sevakin) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 188;369 |
| 1884/85AH 1302 | Muhabere Memuru | Suakin (Sevakin) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 188;369 |
| 1886/87AH 1304 | Muhabere Memuru | Suakin (Sevakin) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 188;369 |
| 1887/88AH 1305 | Muhabere Memuru | Suakin (Sevakin) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 188;369 |
| 1888/89AH 1306 | Muhabere Memuru | Beyoğlu | 675 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 188;369 |
| 1889/90AH 1307 | Muhabere Memuru | Beyoğlu | 675 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 188;369 |
| 1890/91AH 1308 | Muhabere Memuru | Beyoğlu | 675 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 188;369 |
| 1891/92AH 1309 | Muhabere Memuru | Beyoğlu | 675 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 188;369 |
| 1892/93AH 1310 | Muhabere Memuru | Beyoğlu | 675 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 188;369 |
| 1893/94AH 1311 | Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti | Beyoğlu | 700 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 188;369 |
| 1894/95AH 1312 | Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti | Beyoğlu | 700 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 188;369 |
| 1895/96AH 1313 | Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti | Beyoğlu | 800 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 188;369 |
| 1896/97AH 1314 | Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti | Beyoğlu | 720 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 188;369 |
| 1897/98AH 1315 | Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti | Beyoğlu | 720 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 188;369 |
| 1898/99AH 1316 | Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti | Beyoğlu | 787 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 188;369 |
| 1899/1900AH 1317 | Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti | Beyoğlu | 1,100 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 188;369 |
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 (17)
| Field | Recorded value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | ||
| Name | Simon Efendi | Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Birth year (AH) | 1269 | 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 |
| Religion | Hristiyan | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Nationality or community | Ermeni | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Schooling | ||
| School | Mektebi Mahsusa | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Years of schooling | 4 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Years of apprenticeship (mülazemet) | 0.5 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First work | ||
| First work: year (AH) | 1287 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First work: Gregorian year as stored | 1870 | Recovered annual personnel extract |
| First work: place | beyoglu | 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 | idaresizlikten / vazife-i Memuriyetini hakkıyla ifa etmediğine naşi azl edilip taht-ı muhakeme etmemiş used on this page | Legal notes (earlier workbook copy); Legal notes (later workbook copy) |
| Legal record note as worded | İdaresizlikten other value | Legal notes (earlier workbook copy); Legal notes (later workbook copy) |
| Years (AH) with a criminal-record mark in the annual records | 1295; 1296; 1298; 1299; 1300; 1301; 1302; 1304; 1305; 1306; 1307; 1308; 1310; 1311; 1312; 1313; 1314; 1315; 1316; 1317 | Later annual personnel extract |
| Status | ||
| Death recorded under the year (AH) | 1318 | 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.
- 27 annual entries of 27 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
- Simon Efendi
- Communications official (Muhabere Memuru)
- Beyoğlu
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- Special school (Mekteb-i Mahsusa)
- Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf)
- Armenian Christian (Ermeni)
- 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)