Official
Recep Kenan Efendi
Muslim (Müslüman). Born in Larissa (Yenişehir-i Fener) in 1858/59 (AH 1275). On record 1889 to 1905, 16 annual entries.
Archive reference 0068_0160; 317
Life#
Born in Larissa (Yenişehir-i Fener) in 1858/59 (AH 1275) into the Muslim (Müslüman) community, Recep Kenan Efendi was the child of a tradesman (esnaf). Schooling took seven years, at a middle school (Rüşdiye Mektebi).
Work began in Izmir (İzmir) in 1886/87, at about 28, with three unpaid years as a mülazım (apprentice) before a first salary of 550 kuruş. The first annual entry, for 1889/90, places Recep Kenan in Izmir as a travelling postal official (Seyyar Memur). Next came Aydın from 1890 to 1896, then a return to Izmir from 1896 to 1902. From 1902 to 1905 the annual entries place Recep Kenan in Niš (Niş).
The salary never rose above the first in the lists, 550 kuruş a month in 1889/90, as Seyyar Memur in Izmir, when 55 per cent of paid officials earned less. Over 16 years pay ended below where it began, 450 kuruş against 550; fewer than 7 per cent of the 2,010 officials paid for 15 years or more ended as low. The last annual entry is for 1904/05.
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 1858/59 (AH 1275)
First work 1886/87 (AH 1304); 1889/90 (AH 1307)
550 kuruş a month; entries in 1 year
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1889/90 | 550 | 500 | 600 | 55% |
| 1890/91 | 550 | 500 | 600 | 56% |
| 1891/92 | 550 | 500 | 600 | 57% |
| 1892/93 | 550 | 500 | 600 | 57% |
| 1893/94 | 550 | 500 | 600 | 58% |
| 1894/95 | 550 | 500 | 600 | 58% |
| 1895/96 | 550 | 500 | 675 | 58% |
| 1896/97 | 495 | 500 | 575 | 48% |
| 1897/98 | 495 | 500 | 600 | 48% |
| 1898/99 | 495 | 500 | 575 | 48% |
| 1899/1900 | 495 | 500 | 540 | 47% |
| 1900/01 | 495 | 500 | 600 | 47% |
| 1901/02 | 495 | 500 | 600 | 49% |
| 1902/03 | 300 | 500 | 340 | 21% |
| 1903/04 | 300 | 475 | 300 | 23% |
| 1904/05 | 450 | 450 | 300 | 48% |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1886/87AH 1304 | First work | Izmir (İzmir) | 550first-salary field |
| 1889/90AH 1307 | Seyyar Memur | Izmir (İzmir) | 550 |
| 1890 to 1896AH 1308 to 1313 | Seyyar Memur | Aydın | 550 |
| 1896 to 1902AH 1314 to 1319 | Seyyar Memur | Izmir (İzmir) | 495 |
| 1902 to 1905AH 1320 to 1322 | Nakliye Memuru | Niš (Niş) | 300 to 450 |
Record#
Personal
- Born
- 1858/59 (AH 1275)
- Birthplace
- Larissa (Yenişehir-i Fener)
- Community
- Muslim (Müslüman)
- Nationality as recorded
- Turkish
- Father's occupation
- Esnaf
Education
- Rüşdiye
- Rüşdiye Mektebi (7 years)rüşdiye school (middle school)
- Unpaid years (mülazemet)
- 3 years
- 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
- 1886/87 (AH 1304)
- Place
- Izmir (İzmir)
- First salary field (kuruş a month)
- 550
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 132 officials with entries in Izmir (İzmir) in the same years, Recep Kenan Efendi had the 72nd highest salary.
- Mehmet Haşim Efendi7 shared years; highest salary 1,500 kuruş
- Tahir Efendi7 shared years; highest salary 700 kuruş
- Karakin Yaver Efendi7 shared years; highest salary 650 kuruş
- Yasef Kasuti Efendi7 shared years; highest salary 600 kuruş
- Ali Rıza Efendi7 shared years; highest salary 550 kuruş
Same job title, same years
Of the 174 officials with the title Seyyar Memur in the same years, Recep Kenan Efendi had the 142nd highest salary.
- Ahmet Fazıl Bey13 shared years; highest salary 800 kuruş
- Mehmet Sabri Efendi13 shared years; highest salary 800 kuruş
- Hasan Tahsin Efendi13 shared years; highest salary 700 kuruş
- Cemal Efendi13 shared years; highest salary 500 kuruş
- Fransuva Efendi13 shared years; highest salary 500 kuruş
Same school
Of the 3,206 officials with Rüşdiye Mektebi among their schools, 3,200 have a recorded salary; Recep Kenan Efendi had the 1,120th highest salary of them.
- Abdulkadir Efendiborn 1858/59 (AH 1275); highest salary 800 kuruş
- Ahmed Hilmi Efendiborn 1858/59 (AH 1275); highest salary 500 kuruş
- AHMET CEMİL EFENDİborn 1858/59 (AH 1275); highest salary 400 kuruş
- Ahmet Faik Beyborn 1858/59 (AH 1275); highest salary 2,000 kuruş
- Ahmet Faik Efendiborn 1858/59 (AH 1275); highest salary 750 kuruş
Same birthplace
Of the 24 officials born in Larissa (Yenişehir-i Fener), Recep Kenan Efendi had the 11th highest salary.
- Mehmet Resmi Efendiborn 1858/59 (AH 1275); highest salary 750 kuruş
- Ömer Zihni Efendiborn 1856/57 (AH 1273); highest salary 1,080 kuruş
- Tahir Efendiborn 1855/56 (AH 1272); highest salary 700 kuruş
- Hüseyin Avni Efendiborn 1854/55 (AH 1271); highest salary 380 kuruş
- Mustafa Bahaettin Efendiborn 1864/65 (AH 1281); highest salary 300 kuruş
The page of Larissa (Yenişehir-i Fener), with the 24 officials born there
First annual entry in the same year
Of the 116 officials whose first annual entry is for 1889/90 (AH 1307), Recep Kenan Efendi had the 42nd highest salary.
- Sarafim Efendifirst entry in Izmir (İzmir); highest salary 350 kuruş
- Unnamed official (0067_00148; sayfa no:293)first entry in Izmir (İzmir); highest salary 500 kuruş
- Todori İstavridis Efendifirst entry in Izmir (İzmir); highest salary 350 kuruş
- Mehmet Fuat Efendifirst entry in Izmir (İzmir); highest salary 515 kuruş
- Mehmet Kadri Efendifirst entry in Izmir (İzmir); highest salary 500 kuruş
Full record
Annual entries (16)
| Year | Title | Place | Kuruş a month | Institution | Source | Archive reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1889/90AH 1307 | Seyyar Memur | Izmir (İzmir) | 550 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0068_0160; 317 |
| 1890/91AH 1308 | Seyyar Memur | Aydın | 550 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0068_0160; 317 |
| 1891/92AH 1309 | Seyyar Memur | Aydın | 550 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0068_0160; 317 |
| 1892/93AH 1310 | Seyyar Memur | Aydın | 550 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0068_0160; 317 |
| 1893/94AH 1311 | Seyyar Memur | Aydın | 550 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0068_0160; 317 |
| 1894/95AH 1312 | Seyyar Memur | Aydın | 550 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0068_0160; 317 |
| 1895/96AH 1313 | Seyyar Memur | Aydın | 550 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0068_0160; 317 |
| 1896/97AH 1314 | Seyyar Memur | Izmir (İzmir) | 495 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0068_0160; 317 |
| 1897/98AH 1315 | Seyyar Memur | Izmir (İzmir) | 495 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0068_0160; 317 |
| 1898/99AH 1316 | Seyyar Memur | Izmir (İzmir) | 495 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0068_0160; 317 |
| 1899/1900AH 1317 | Seyyar Memur | Izmir (İzmir) | 495 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0068_0160; 317 |
| 1900/01AH 1318 | Seyyar Memur | Izmir (İzmir) | 495 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0068_0160; 317 |
| 1901/02AH 1319 | Seyyar Memur | Izmir (İzmir) | 495 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0068_0160; 317 |
| 1902/03AH 1320 | Nakliye Memuru | Niš (Niş) | 300 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0068_0160; 317 |
| 1903/04AH 1321 | Nakliye Memuru | Niš (Niş) | 300 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0068_0160; 317 |
| 1904/05AH 1322 | Nakliye Memuru | Niš (Niş) | 450 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0068_0160; 317 |
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 (14)
| Field | Recorded value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | ||
| Name | Recep Kenan Efendi | Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Birth year (AH) | 1275 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Birthplace | yenisehir2 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Province of birth | selanik | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Father's occupation | esnaf | 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) | 3 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First work | ||
| First work: year (AH) | 1304 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First work: Gregorian year as stored | 1887 | Recovered annual personnel extract |
| First work: place | izmir | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First salary field (kuruş a month) | 550 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
What the sources named in this table are
- 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.
- 16 annual entries of 16 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
- Recep Kenan Efendi
- Travelling postal official (Seyyar Memur)
- Izmir (İzmir)
- Larissa (Yenişehir-i Fener)
- 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)