Official
Agop Efendi
Armenian Christian (Ermeni). Born in Istanbul (Dersaadet) in 1854/55 (AH 1271). On record 1873 to 1896, 22 annual entries.
Archive reference 0066_0247; 491
Life#
Agop Efendi was born in Istanbul in 1854/55 (AH 1271), into the Armenian Christian (Ermeni) community. In all Agop knew five languages, Armenian, French and Turkish in writing and English and Greek (Rum) in speech; fewer than 2 per cent of the 5,211 officials knew as many.
Agop began work in Istanbul in 1873/74, at about 18, paid from the start, on 800 kuruş a month. The first annual entry, for 1873/74, places Agop in Haydarpaşa as Demiryolu Memuru, where the entries run to 1875/76. The annual lists then follow Agop to five places in ten years, then Durrës (Dıraç) from 1885 to 1895, with a rise to Duyunu Umumiye 2. Sinif Mufettisi. The last post was in Shkodër (İşkodra) in 1895/96, with a rise to Vali Muavini. 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.
The salary went from 800 kuruş a month in 1873/74 to 5,000 in 1895/96, the peak, as Vali Muavini in Shkodër, when 99 per cent of paid officials earned less. In all, 22 years of salary come to 580,200 kuruş, 4.3 times what an official on the median salary earned in those years, a level reached by fewer than 3 per cent of the 3,805 officials paid for five years or more. The last annual entry is for 1895/96. Agop received the Osmani order.
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.
1873 to 1876 (AH 1290 to 1292)
800 to 1,000 kuruş a month; entries in 3 years
1878/79 (AH 1296)
No annual entry for 1878 (AH 1295) before it.
500 kuruş a month; entries in 1 year
1880 to 1883 (AH 1298 to 1300)
No annual entry for 1879/80 (AH 1297) before it.
Duyunu Umumiye 2. Sinif Mufettisi 1880 to 1882 (AH 1298 to 1299); Duyunu Umumiye Mufettisi 1882/83 (AH 1300)
1,000 to 2,000 kuruş a month; entries in 3 years
1885 to 1895 (AH 1303 to 1312)
Duyunu Umumiye 2. Sinif Mufettisi
3,000 kuruş a month; entries in 10 years
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1873/74 | 800 | 500 | 70% | |
| 1874/75 | 950 | 535 | 77% | |
| 1875/76 | 1,000 | 530 | 78% | |
| 1876/77 | 800 | 582.5 | 67% | |
| 1877/78 | 800 | 560 | 800 | 68% |
| 1878/79 | 500 | 600 | 34% | |
| 1880/81 | 1,000 | 500 | 84% | |
| 1881/82 | 1,500 | 500 | 91% | |
| 1882/83 | 2,000 | 500 | 92% | |
| 1883/84 | 2,000 | 500 | 92% | |
| 1884/85 | 2,000 | 500 | 92% | |
| 1885/86 | 3,000 | 500 | 97% | |
| 1886/87 | 3,000 | 500 | 97% | |
| 1887/88 | 3,000 | 500 | 97% | |
| 1888/89 | 3,000 | 500 | 97% | |
| 1889/90 | 3,000 | 500 | 97% | |
| 1890/91 | 3,000 | 500 | 97% | |
| 1891/92 | 3,000 | 500 | 97% | |
| 1892/93 | 3,000 | 500 | 98% | |
| 1893/94 | 3,000 | 500 | 98% | |
| 1894/95 | 3,000 | 500 | 98% | |
| 1895/96 | 5,000 | 500 | 99% |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1873/74AH 1290 | Demiryolufirst work | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 800first-salary field |
| 1873 to 1876AH 1290 to 1292 | Demiryolu Memuru | Haydarpaşa | 800 to 1,000 |
| 1876 to 1878AH 1293 to 1294 | İttihat Posta Memuru | Çanakkale | 800 |
| No annual entry: 1878 (AH 1295) | |||
| 1878/79AH 1296 | İttihat Posta Memuru | Pristina (Priştine) | 500 |
| No annual entry: 1879/80 (AH 1297) | |||
| 1880 to 1882AH 1298 to 1299 | Duyunu Umumiye 2. Sinif Mufettisi | Plovdiv (Filibe) | 1,000 to 1,500 |
| 1882/83AH 1300 | Duyunu Umumiye Mufettisi | Plovdiv (Filibe) | 2,000 |
| 1883/84AH 1301 | Duyunu Umumiye Mufettisi | Erzurum | 2,000 |
| 1884/85AH 1302 | Duyunu Umumiye Mufettisi | Baghdad (Bağdat) | 2,000 |
| 1885 to 1895AH 1303 to 1312 | Duyunu Umumiye 2. Sinif Mufettisi | Durrës (Dıraç) | 3,000 |
| 1895/96AH 1313 | Vali Muavini | Shkodër (İşkodra) | 5,000 |
Record#
Personal
- Born
- 1854/55 (AH 1271)
- Birthplace
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- Community
- Armenian Christian (Ermeni)
- Nationality as recorded
- Ermeni
Education
- Foreign school
- Fransız Mektebi (7 years)French school; place of the school as worded: Beyoglu
- Unpaid years (mülazemet)
- 0 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
- Armenian
- Kitabetwriting
- English
- Tekellumspeaking
- French
- Kitabetwriting
- Greek (Rum)
- Tekellumspeaking. 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
- 1873/74 (AH 1290)
- Place
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- First job as worded
- Demiryolu
- Age at first work (workbook field)
- 19
- First salary field (kuruş a month)
- 800
- First-job salary of the original workbook (kuruş a month)
- 800
Honours and ranks
- Osmani order (recorded code)
- 4
Named in scholarly works#
No link between a work and an official has been accepted. Each entry was found by fixed rules on the name and the recorded fields, and says what it rests on.
Possible links: 3 entries in 1 work
- Sicill-i Ahvâl defterlerine göre İstanbul doğumlu Ermeni devlet adamları: AGOB EFENDİPossible link: same name and birthplace; several officials or entries qualify, so none is probable
- Sicill-i Ahvâl defterlerine göre İstanbul doğumlu Ermeni devlet adamları: AGOB EFENDİPossible link: same name and birthplace; several officials or entries qualify, so none is probable
- Sicill-i Ahvâl defterlerine göre İstanbul doğumlu Ermeni devlet adamları: AGOB EFENDİPossible link: same name and birthplace; several officials or entries qualify, so none is probable
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 8 officials with entries in Durrës (Dıraç) in the same years, Agop Efendi had the highest salary.
- Rifat Necmi Efendi10 shared years; highest salary 760 kuruş
- Hüseyin Hüsnü Efendi10 shared years; highest salary 600 kuruş
- Beyovik Arif Efendi5 shared years; highest salary 1,400 kuruş
- Bogos Efendi5 shared years; highest salary 600 kuruş
- Azaryak Efendi3 shared years; highest salary 600 kuruş
Same job title, same years
Of the 7 officials with the title İttihat Posta Memuru in the same years, Agop Efendi had the highest salary.
- Mıgırdıç Tanfiraki3 shared years; highest salary 1,300 kuruş
- Kirkor Efendi3 shared years; highest salary 875 kuruş
- Mühtedi Mehmet Emin Efendi2 shared years; highest salary 1,500 kuruş
- Paskal Enveryan Efendi2 shared years; highest salary 800 kuruş
- Mustafa Necip Bey1 shared year; highest salary 1,000 kuruş
Same school
Of the 63 officials with Fransız Mektebi among their schools, Agop Efendi had the 2nd highest salary.
- Oseb Eğerciyan Efendiborn 1854/55 (AH 1271); highest salary 800 kuruş
- Oseb Yosef Efendiborn 1854/55 (AH 1271); highest salary 750 kuruş
- Yosef Arya Efendiborn 1853/54 (AH 1270); highest salary 1,020 kuruş
- Lazar Efendiborn 1855/56 (AH 1272); highest salary 400 kuruş
- Lazyan Agob Efendiborn 1855/56 (AH 1272); highest salary 1,000 kuruş
Same birthplace
Of the 1,999 officials born in Istanbul, 1,997 have a recorded salary; Agop Efendi had the 24th highest salary of them.
- Ahmet Muhittin Beyborn 1854/55 (AH 1271); highest salary 8,000 kuruş
- Ahmet Refik Beyborn 1854/55 (AH 1271); highest salary 1,100 kuruş
- Ali Şefik Efendiborn 1854/55 (AH 1271); highest salary 640 kuruş
- Antuvan Efendiborn 1854/55 (AH 1271); highest salary 250 kuruş
- Apostol Efendiborn 1854/55 (AH 1271); highest salary 300 kuruş
First annual entry in the same year
Of the 69 officials whose first annual entry is for 1873/74 (AH 1290), Agop Efendi had the 3rd highest salary.
- İbrahim Hilmi Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 600 kuruş
- İsmail Zihni Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 3,000 kuruş
- Mehmet Hulusi Beyfirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 2,600 kuruş
- Mehmet Tevfik Efendifirst entry in Ioannina (Yanya); highest salary 3,000 kuruş
- Osman Mazhar Beyfirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 2,550 kuruş
Full record
Annual entries (22)
| Year | Title | Place | Kuruş a month | Institution | Source | Archive reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1873/74AH 1290 | Demiryolu Memuru | Haydarpaşa | 800 | Other | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 0066_0247; 491 |
| 1874/75AH 1291 | Demiryolu Memuru | Haydarpaşa | 950 | Other | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 0066_0247; 491 |
| 1875/76AH 1292 | Demiryolu Memuru | Haydarpaşa | 1,000 | Other | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 0066_0247; 491 |
| 1876/77AH 1293 | İttihat Posta Memuru | Çanakkale | 800 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0066_0247; 491 |
| 1877/78AH 1294 | İttihat Posta Memuru | Çanakkale | 800 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0066_0247; 491 |
| 1878/79AH 1296 | İttihat Posta Memuru | Pristina (Priştine) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0066_0247; 491 |
| 1880/81AH 1298 | Duyunu Umumiye 2. Sinif Mufettisi | Plovdiv (Filibe) | 1,000 | Public Debt Administration (Düyun-ı Umumiye) | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 0066_0247; 491 |
| 1881/82AH 1299 | Duyunu Umumiye 2. Sinif Mufettisi | Plovdiv (Filibe) | 1,500 | Public Debt Administration (Düyun-ı Umumiye) | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 0066_0247; 491 |
| 1882/83AH 1300 | Duyunu Umumiye Mufettisi | Plovdiv (Filibe) | 2,000 | Public Debt Administration (Düyun-ı Umumiye) | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 0066_0247; 491 |
| 1883/84AH 1301 | Duyunu Umumiye Mufettisi | Erzurum | 2,000 | Public Debt Administration (Düyun-ı Umumiye) | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 0066_0247; 491 |
| 1884/85AH 1302 | Duyunu Umumiye Mufettisi | Baghdad (Bağdat) | 2,000 | Public Debt Administration (Düyun-ı Umumiye) | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 0066_0247; 491 |
| 1885/86AH 1303 | Duyunu Umumiye 2. Sinif Mufettisi | Durrës (Dıraç) | 3,000 | Public Debt Administration (Düyun-ı Umumiye) | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 0066_0247; 491 |
| 1886/87AH 1304 | Duyunu Umumiye 2. Sinif Mufettisi | Durrës (Dıraç) | 3,000 | Public Debt Administration (Düyun-ı Umumiye) | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 0066_0247; 491 |
| 1887/88AH 1305 | Duyunu Umumiye 2. Sinif Mufettisi | Durrës (Dıraç) | 3,000 | Public Debt Administration (Düyun-ı Umumiye) | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 0066_0247; 491 |
| 1888/89AH 1306 | Duyunu Umumiye 2. Sinif Mufettisi | Durrës (Dıraç) | 3,000 | Public Debt Administration (Düyun-ı Umumiye) | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 0066_0247; 491 |
| 1889/90AH 1307 | Duyunu Umumiye 2. Sinif Mufettisi | Durrës (Dıraç) | 3,000 | Public Debt Administration (Düyun-ı Umumiye) | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 0066_0247; 491 |
| 1890/91AH 1308 | Duyunu Umumiye 2. Sinif Mufettisi | Durrës (Dıraç) | 3,000 | Public Debt Administration (Düyun-ı Umumiye) | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 0066_0247; 491 |
| 1891/92AH 1309 | Duyunu Umumiye 2. Sinif Mufettisi | Durrës (Dıraç) | 3,000 | Public Debt Administration (Düyun-ı Umumiye) | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 0066_0247; 491 |
| 1892/93AH 1310 | Duyunu Umumiye 2. Sinif Mufettisi | Durrës (Dıraç) | 3,000 | Public Debt Administration (Düyun-ı Umumiye) | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 0066_0247; 491 |
| 1893/94AH 1311 | Duyunu Umumiye 2. Sinif Mufettisi | Durrës (Dıraç) | 3,000 | Public Debt Administration (Düyun-ı Umumiye) | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 0066_0247; 491 |
| 1894/95AH 1312 | Duyunu Umumiye 2. Sinif Mufettisi | Durrës (Dıraç) | 3,000 | Public Debt Administration (Düyun-ı Umumiye) | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 0066_0247; 491 |
| 1895/96AH 1313 | Vali Muavini | Shkodër (İşkodra) | 5,000 | Other | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 0066_0247; 491 |
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 (25)
| Field | Recorded value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | ||
| Name | Agop Efendi | Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Linked personnel workbook |
| Birth year (AH) | 1271 | 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 |
| Religion | Hristiyan | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Nationality or community | Ermeni | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Schooling | ||
| School | Fransiz Mektebi | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Place of the school | Beyoglu | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Years of schooling | 7 | 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) | 1290 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Linked personnel workbook |
| First work: Gregorian year as stored | 1873 | 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 | Demiryolu | Linked personnel workbook; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Age at first work (workbook field) | 19 | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First salary field (kuruş a month) | 800 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First-job salary of the original workbook (kuruş a month) | 800 | Linked personnel workbook; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Honours | ||
| Osmani order (recorded code) | 4 | 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.
- 3 annual entries of 22 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
- Agop Efendi
- Duyunu Umumiye 2. Sinif Mufettisi
- Durrës (Dıraç)
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- French school (Fransız Mektebi)
- Public Debt Administration (Düyun-ı Umumiye)
- 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)