Official
Bekir Efendi
Muslim (Müslüman). Born in Istanbul (Dersaadet) in 1836/37 (AH 1252). On record 1857 to 1888, 30 annual entries. Death recorded 1888/89.
Archive reference 3_172; 342
Life#
Bekir Efendi was born in Istanbul in 1836/37 (AH 1252) into the Muslim (Müslüman) community; the father was a steward (kethüda). Work began in Istanbul in 1855/56, at about 19, with two unpaid years as a mülazım (apprentice) before a first salary of 750 kuruş. The first annual entry, for 1857/58, places Bekir in Vidin as a communications official (Muhabere Memuru), where the entries run to 1871/72, with a rise to assistant inspector (Müfettiş Muavini) in 1867/68. The annual lists then follow Bekir to Thessaloniki (Selanik), Trabzon and Edirne from 1872 to 1879, with a rise to inspector (Müfettiş) in 1873/74. The last posts were in Istanbul, the birthplace, from 1880 to 1888.
The salary went from 750 kuruş a month in 1857/58 to 3,500 in 1876/77, the peak, as Müfettiş in Edirne, when 98 per cent of paid officials earned less. That salary was paid for a single year, and the next list gives 3,000 kuruş. In all, 30 years of salary come to 708,000 kuruş, 3.6 times what an official on the median salary earned in those years, a level reached by fewer than 4 per cent of the 3,805 officials paid for five years or more. After the last annual entry, for 1887/88, the list of 1888/89 (AH 1306) 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 1836/37 (AH 1252); First work 1855/56 (AH 1272)
1857 to 1872 (AH 1274 to 1288)
Muhabere Memuru 1857 to 1859 (AH 1274 to 1275); 2. Müdür 1860 to 1862 (AH 1277 to 1278); 1. Müdür 1862 to 1867 (AH 1279 to 1283); Müfettiş Muavini 1867 to 1872 (AH 1284 to 1288)
750 to 2,000 kuruş a month; entries in 14 years
No annual entry for 1859/60 (AH 1276).
1880 to 1888 (AH 1298 to 1305)
No annual entry for 1879/80 (AH 1297) before it.
2,000 kuruş a month; entries in 8 years
Death recorded in the annual list of 1888/89 (AH 1306): 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, and the median of the same province for the years in which at least 5 officials were paid in the province of the official's salary that year.
The numbers of the chart
| Year | Salary | Median, all officials | Median, same title | Median, same province | Paid less |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1857/58 | 750 | 475 | 400 | 750 | 64% |
| 1858/59 | 750 | 500 | 500 | 875 | 65% |
| 1860/61 | 1,000 | 500 | 1,000 | 750 | 66% |
| 1861/62 | 1,000 | 600 | 1,000 | 725 | 61% |
| 1862/63 | 1,200 | 500 | 1,500 | 750 | 75% |
| 1863/64 | 1,200 | 500 | 1,500 | 655 | 75% |
| 1864/65 | 1,200 | 625 | 1,440 | 710 | 69% |
| 1865/66 | 1,200 | 650 | 1,320 | 720 | 71% |
| 1866/67 | 1,200 | 600 | 1,320 | 600 | 74% |
| 1867/68 | 2,000 | 600 | 600 | 90% | |
| 1868/69 | 2,000 | 600 | 600 | 90% | |
| 1869/70 | 2,000 | 600 | 2,000 | 600 | 90% |
| 1870/71 | 2,000 | 600 | 2,000 | 600 | 91% |
| 1871/72 | 2,000 | 550 | 2,000 | 570 | 93% |
| 1872/73 | 2,000 | 550 | 2,150 | 462.5 | 93% |
| 1873/74 | 3,000 | 500 | 3,000 | 475 | 96% |
| 1874/75 | 3,000 | 535 | 3,000 | 475 | 96% |
| 1875/76 | 3,000 | 530 | 2,500 | 450 | 96% |
| 1876/77 | 3,500 | 582.5 | 2,000 | 500 | 98% |
| 1877/78 | 3,000 | 560 | 3,000 | 600 | 96% |
| 1878 | 3,000 | 600 | 3,000 | 600 | 95% |
| 1878/79 | 3,000 | 600 | 3,000 | 585 | 95% |
| 1880/81 | 2,000 | 500 | 500 | 93% | |
| 1881/82 | 2,000 | 500 | 500 | 92% | |
| 1882/83 | 2,000 | 500 | 500 | 92% | |
| 1883/84 | 2,000 | 500 | 500 | 92% | |
| 1884/85 | 2,000 | 500 | 500 | 92% | |
| 1885/86 | 2,000 | 500 | 500 | 93% | |
| 1886/87 | 2,000 | 500 | 500 | 93% | |
| 1887/88 | 2,000 | 500 | 500 | 93% |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1855/56AH 1272 | First work | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 750first-salary field |
| 1857 to 1859AH 1274 to 1275 | Muhabere Memuru | Vidin | 750 |
| No annual entry: 1859/60 (AH 1276) | |||
| 1860 to 1862AH 1277 to 1278 | 2. Müdür | Vidin | 1,000 |
| 1862 to 1867AH 1279 to 1283 | 1. Müdür | Vidin | 1,200 |
| 1867 to 1872AH 1284 to 1288 | Müfettiş Muavini | Vidin | 2,000 |
| 1872/73AH 1289 | Müfettiş Muavini | Thessaloniki (Selanik) | 2,000 |
| 1873 to 1876AH 1290 to 1292 | Müfettiş | Trabzon | 3,000 |
| 1876/77AH 1293 | Müfettiş | Edirne | 3,500 |
| 1877 to 1879AH 1294 to 1296 | Başmüdür | Edirne | 3,000 |
| No annual entry: 1879/80 (AH 1297) | |||
| 1880 to 1888AH 1298 to 1305 | Pul Muhafizligi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 2,000 |
| 1888/89AH 1306 | Death recorded | ||
Record#
Personal
- Born
- 1836/37 (AH 1252)
- Birthplace
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- Community
- Muslim (Müslüman)
- Nationality as recorded
- Turkish
- Father's occupation
- Kethuda
- Death recorded
- 1888/89 (AH 1306)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)
- Unpaid years (mülazemet)
- 2 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
- Arabic
- asinafamiliarity
- Persian
- asinafamiliarity
- Turkish
- Kitabetwriting
The glosses are cautious historical readings of the recorded words, not modern levels of proficiency.
First work
- Year
- 1855/56 (AH 1272)
- Place
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- First salary field (kuruş a month)
- 750
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 post (job title and place), same years
Of the 3 officials who held 1. Müdür in Vidin in the same years, Bekir Efendi had the lowest salary.
- Ahmet Rifat Efendi3 shared years; highest salary 4,000 kuruş
- Hüseyin Lebib Efendi2 shared years; highest salary 4,000 kuruş
Same place, same years
Of the 14 officials with entries in Vidin in the same years, Bekir Efendi had the 4th highest salary.
- Ahmet Rifat Efendi7 shared years; highest salary 4,000 kuruş
- Hasan Zuhdu Bey7 shared years; highest salary 2,100 kuruş
- Hüseyin Lebib Efendi6 shared years; highest salary 4,000 kuruş
- Hüseyin Ziya Efendi5 shared years; highest salary 1,000 kuruş
- Mustafa Muhlis Efendi4 shared years; highest salary 3,000 kuruş
Same job title, same years
Of the 15 officials with the title Müfettiş Muavini in the same years, Bekir Efendi had the 5th highest salary.
- Asaf Bey5 shared years; highest salary 3,000 kuruş
- Mustafa Efendi4 shared years; highest salary 4,500 kuruş
- Kadri Efendi4 shared years; highest salary 2,500 kuruş
- Abdülkerim Efendi3 shared years; highest salary 4,500 kuruş
- Hüsnü Efendi3 shared years; highest salary 2,600 kuruş
Same school
Of the 3,206 officials with Rüşdiye Mektebi among their schools, 3,200 have a recorded salary; Bekir Efendi had the 29th highest salary of them.
- Ahmet Emin Beyborn 1836/37 (AH 1252); highest salary 400 kuruş
- Mehmet Sakir Beyborn 1836/37 (AH 1252); highest salary 800 kuruş
- Salih Kazım Efendiborn 1836/37 (AH 1252); highest salary 1,250 kuruş
- Unnamed official (23_38; 73)born 1836/37 (AH 1252); highest salary 800 kuruş
- Edmon Mone Efendiborn 1835/36 (AH 1251); highest salary 2,600 kuruş
Same birthplace
Of the 1,999 officials born in Istanbul, 1,997 have a recorded salary; Bekir Efendi had the 63rd highest salary of them.
- Ahmet Emin Beyborn 1836/37 (AH 1252); highest salary 400 kuruş
- Hasan Said Efendiborn 1836/37 (AH 1252); highest salary 1,200 kuruş
- İstefan Diyon Efendiborn 1836/37 (AH 1252); highest salary 500 kuruş
- Mehmet Sakir Beyborn 1836/37 (AH 1252); highest salary 800 kuruş
- Mustafa Agah Efendiborn 1836/37 (AH 1252); highest salary 4,000 kuruş
First annual entry in the same year
Of the 14 officials whose first annual entry is for 1857/58 (AH 1274), Bekir Efendi had the highest salary.
- Balyan Jozef Efendifirst entry in Vidin; highest salary 2,500 kuruş
- Madilli Efendifirst entry in Tekirdağ; highest salary 3,500 kuruş
- Mehmet İzzet Efendifirst entry in Erzurum; highest salary 800 kuruş
- Yanko Makridi Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 3,200 kuruş
- İsmail Hakkı Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 2,500 kuruş
Full record
Annual entries (30)
| Year | Title | Place | Kuruş a month | Institution | Source | Archive reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1857/58AH 1274 | Muhabere Memuru | Vidin | 750 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 3_172; 342 |
| 1858/59AH 1275 | Muhabere Memuru | Vidin | 750 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 3_172; 342 |
| 1860/61AH 1277 | 2. Müdür | Vidin | 1,000 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 3_172; 342 |
| 1861/62AH 1278 | 2. Müdür | Vidin | 1,000 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 3_172; 342 |
| 1862/63AH 1279 | 1. Müdür | Vidin | 1,200 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 3_172; 342 |
| 1863/64AH 1280 | 1. Müdür | Vidin | 1,200 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 3_172; 342 |
| 1864/65AH 1281 | 1. Müdür | Vidin | 1,200 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 3_172; 342 |
| 1865/66AH 1282 | 1. Müdür | Vidin | 1,200 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 3_172; 342 |
| 1866/67AH 1283 | 1. Müdür | Vidin | 1,200 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 3_172; 342 |
| 1867/68AH 1284 | Müfettiş Muavini | Vidin | 2,000 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 3_172; 342 |
| 1868/69AH 1285 | Müfettiş Muavini | Vidin | 2,000 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 3_172; 342 |
| 1869/70AH 1286 | Müfettiş Muavini | Vidin | 2,000 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 3_172; 342 |
| 1870/71AH 1287 | Müfettiş Muavini | Vidin | 2,000 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 3_172; 342 |
| 1871/72AH 1288 | Müfettiş Muavini | Vidin | 2,000 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 3_172; 342 |
| 1872/73AH 1289 | Müfettiş Muavini | Thessaloniki (Selanik) | 2,000 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 3_172; 342 |
| 1873/74AH 1290 | Müfettiş | Trabzon | 3,000 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 3_172; 342 |
| 1874/75AH 1291 | Müfettiş | Trabzon | 3,000 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 3_172; 342 |
| 1875/76AH 1292 | Müfettiş | Trabzon | 3,000 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 3_172; 342 |
| 1876/77AH 1293 | Müfettiş | Edirne | 3,500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 3_172; 342 |
| 1877/78AH 1294 | Başmüdür | Edirne | 3,000 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 3_172; 342 |
| 1878AH 1295 | Başmüdür | Edirne | 3,000 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 3_172; 342 |
| 1878/79AH 1296 | Başmüdür | Edirne | 3,000 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 3_172; 342 |
| 1880/81AH 1298 | Pul Muhafizligi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 2,000 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 3_172; 342 |
| 1881/82AH 1299 | Pul Muhafizligi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 2,000 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 3_172; 342 |
| 1882/83AH 1300 | Pul Muhafizligi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 2,000 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 3_172; 342 |
| 1883/84AH 1301 | Pul Muhafizligi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 2,000 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 3_172; 342 |
| 1884/85AH 1302 | Pul Muhafizligi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 2,000 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 3_172; 342 |
| 1885/86AH 1303 | Pul Muhafizligi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 2,000 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 3_172; 342 |
| 1886/87AH 1304 | Pul Muhafizligi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 2,000 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 3_172; 342 |
| 1887/88AH 1305 | Pul Muhafizligi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 2,000 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 3_172; 342 |
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 (15)
| Field | Recorded value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | ||
| Name | Bekir Efendi | Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Birth year (AH) | 1252 | 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 | Kethuda | 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) | 2 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First work | ||
| First work: year (AH) | 1272 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First work: Gregorian year as stored | 1856 | 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) | 750 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Status | ||
| Death recorded under the year (AH) | 1306 | 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.
- 18 annual entries of 30 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
- Bekir Efendi
- Pul Muhafizligi
- Vidin
- 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)