Official
Mehmet Vecihi Bey
Muslim (Müslüman). Born in Istanbul (Dersaadet) in 1830/31 (AH 1246). On record 1873 to 1894, 22 annual entries. Death recorded 1894/95.
Archive reference 5_324; 645
Life#
Mehmet Vecihi Bey was born in Istanbul in 1830/31 (AH 1246) into the Muslim (Müslüman) community; the father's occupation was "Nazir". Schooling took seven years, at a middle school (Rüşdiye Mektebi).
Mehmet Vecihi began work in the Hariciye Kalemi in Istanbul in 1845, at about 15, with ten unpaid years as a mülazım (apprentice) before a first salary of 100 kuruş. Fewer than 2 per cent of the 5,142 officials with a known apprenticeship worked unpaid for ten years or longer. From 1873/74 to 1893/94 every annual entry places Mehmet Vecihi in Istanbul, the birthplace, with four changes of title, from Hariciye Mektupcu Odasi to Istatistik Basmemuru in 1880/81.
The salary went from 383 kuruş a month in 1873/74 to 1,000 in 1874/75, the peak, as an assistant director (Müdür Muavini) in Istanbul, when four in five paid officials earned less. Over 22 years the salaries add up to 220,596 kuruş, 1.6 times what an official on the median salary earned. After the last annual entry, for 1893/94, the list of 1894/95 (AH 1312) gives the status word Vefat (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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1873/74 | 383 | 500 | 24% | |
| 1874/75 | 1,000 | 535 | 79% | |
| 1875/76 | 1,000 | 530 | 700 | 78% |
| 1876/77 | 1,000 | 582.5 | 77% | |
| 1877/78 | 1,000 | 560 | 79% | |
| 1878 | 1,000 | 600 | 76% | |
| 1878/79 | 1,000 | 600 | 77% | |
| 1879/80 | 800 | 500 | 77% | |
| 1880/81 | 800 | 500 | 76% | |
| 1881/82 | 800 | 500 | 77% | |
| 1882/83 | 800 | 500 | 76% | |
| 1883/84 | 800 | 500 | 76% | |
| 1884/85 | 800 | 500 | 76% | |
| 1885/86 | 800 | 500 | 77% | |
| 1886/87 | 800 | 500 | 77% | |
| 1887/88 | 800 | 500 | 76% | |
| 1888/89 | 800 | 500 | 77% | |
| 1889/90 | 800 | 500 | 78% | |
| 1890/91 | 800 | 500 | 79% | |
| 1891/92 | 800 | 500 | 79% | |
| 1892/93 | 800 | 500 | 80% | |
| 1893/94 | 800 | 500 | 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1845AH 1261 | Hariciye Kalemifirst work | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 100first-salary field |
| 1873/74AH 1290 | Hariciye Mektupcu Odasi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 383 |
| 1874/75AH 1291 | Müdür Muavini | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 1,000 |
| 1875/76AH 1292 | Tahrirat Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 1,000 |
| 1876 to 1880AH 1293 to 1297 | Müdür Muavini | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 1,000 to 800 |
| 1880 to 1894AH 1298 to 1311 | Istatistik Basmemuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 800 |
| 1894/95AH 1312 | Death recorded | ||
Record#
Personal
- Born
- 1830/31 (AH 1246)
- Birthplace
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- Community
- Muslim (Müslüman)
- Nationality as recorded
- Turkish
- Father's occupation
- Nazir
- 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); place of the school as worded: Beyazid
- Unpaid years (mülazemet)
- 10 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
- 1845 (AH 1261)
- Place
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- First job as worded
- Hariciye Kalemi
- Age at first work (workbook field)
- 15
- First salary field (kuruş a month)
- 100
- First-job salary of the original workbook (kuruş a month)
- 100
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 941 officials with entries in Istanbul in the same years, Mehmet Vecihi Bey had the 324th highest salary.
- Emil Efendi22 shared years; highest salary 9,000 kuruş
- Salahattin Bey22 shared years; highest salary 7,800 kuruş
- Suleyman Resat Bey22 shared years; highest salary 7,000 kuruş
- Mehmet Hayri Bey22 shared years; highest salary 5,500 kuruş
- Melkok Efendi22 shared years; highest salary 5,000 kuruş
Same job title, same years
Of the 4 officials with the title Istatistik Basmemuru in the same years, Mehmet Vecihi Bey had the lowest salary.
- Mehmet Faik Bey7 shared years; highest salary 1,100 kuruş
- Mehmet Salim Efendi2 shared years; highest salary 2,250 kuruş
- Hüseyin Besim Efendi2 shared years; highest salary 1,350 kuruş
Same school
Of the 3,206 officials with Rüşdiye Mektebi among their schools, 3,200 have a recorded salary; Mehmet Vecihi Bey had the 289th highest salary of them.
- Unnamed official (5_316; 629)born 1829/30 (AH 1245); highest salary 1,100 kuruş
- Halil Fahri Beyborn 1831/32 (AH 1247); highest salary 4,000 kuruş
- Bahattin Beyborn 1832/33 (AH 1248); highest salary 4,000 kuruş
- Mehmet Ali Efendiborn 1832/33 (AH 1248); highest salary 300 kuruş
- Hacı Mehmet Emin Efendiborn 1833/34 (AH 1249); highest salary 720 kuruş
Same birthplace
Of the 1,999 officials born in Istanbul, 1,997 have a recorded salary; Mehmet Vecihi Bey had the 354th highest salary of them.
- Halil Nese Beyborn 1830/31 (AH 1246); highest salary 4,000 kuruş
- Karabet Efendiborn 1830/31 (AH 1246); highest salary 1,000 kuruş
- Mehmet Arif Efendiborn 1830/31 (AH 1246); highest salary 7,500 kuruş
- Abdulhamit Afif Efendiborn 1829/30 (AH 1245); highest salary 2,500 kuruş
- Ahmet Semsettin Efendiborn 1829/30 (AH 1245); highest salary 3,500 kuruş
First annual entry in the same year
Of the 69 officials whose first annual entry is for 1873/74 (AH 1290), Mehmet Vecihi Bey had the 16th highest salary.
- Ahmet Resmi Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 400 kuruş
- İbrahim Nurettin Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 750 kuruş
- Hafiz Hasan Husnu Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 500 kuruş
- Hüseyin Münir Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 450 kuruş
- Süleyman İhsan Beyfirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 1,000 kuruş
Full record
Annual entries (22)
| Year | Title | Place | Kuruş a month | Institution | Source | Archive reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1873/74AH 1290 | Hariciye Mektupcu Odasi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 383 | Other | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 5_324; 645 |
| 1874/75AH 1291 | Müdür Muavini | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 1,000 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_324; 645 |
| 1875/76AH 1292 | Tahrirat Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 1,000 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_324; 645 |
| 1876/77AH 1293 | Müdür Muavini | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 1,000 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_324; 645 |
| 1877/78AH 1294 | Müdür Muavini | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 1,000 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_324; 645 |
| 1878AH 1295 | Müdür Muavini | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 1,000 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_324; 645 |
| 1878/79AH 1296 | Müdür Muavini | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 1,000 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_324; 645 |
| 1879/80AH 1297 | Müdür Muavini | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 800 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_324; 645 |
| 1880/81AH 1298 | Istatistik Basmemuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 800 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_324; 645 |
| 1881/82AH 1299 | Istatistik Basmemuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 800 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_324; 645 |
| 1882/83AH 1300 | Istatistik Basmemuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 800 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_324; 645 |
| 1883/84AH 1301 | Istatistik Basmemuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 800 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_324; 645 |
| 1884/85AH 1302 | Istatistik Basmemuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 800 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_324; 645 |
| 1885/86AH 1303 | Istatistik Basmemuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 800 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_324; 645 |
| 1886/87AH 1304 | Istatistik Basmemuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 800 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_324; 645 |
| 1887/88AH 1305 | Istatistik Basmemuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 800 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_324; 645 |
| 1888/89AH 1306 | Istatistik Basmemuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 800 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_324; 645 |
| 1889/90AH 1307 | Istatistik Basmemuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 800 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_324; 645 |
| 1890/91AH 1308 | Istatistik Basmemuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 800 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_324; 645 |
| 1891/92AH 1309 | Istatistik Basmemuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 800 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_324; 645 |
| 1892/93AH 1310 | Istatistik Basmemuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 800 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_324; 645 |
| 1893/94AH 1311 | Istatistik Basmemuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 800 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_324; 645 |
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 (26)
| Field | Recorded value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | ||
| Name | Mehmet Vecihi Bey | Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Linked personnel workbook |
| Birth year (AH) | 1246 | 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 |
| Father's occupation | Nazir | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Religion | Musluman | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Nationality or community | Turkish | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Schooling | ||
| School | Rusdiye Mektebi | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Place of the school | Beyazid | 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) | 10 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First work | ||
| First work: year (AH) | 1261 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Linked personnel workbook |
| First work: Gregorian year as stored | 1845 | 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 | Hariciye Kalemi | Linked personnel workbook; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Age at first work (workbook field) | 15 | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First salary field (kuruş a month) | 100 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First-job salary of the original workbook (kuruş a month) | 100 | Linked personnel workbook; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| 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
- 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.
- 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.
- 21 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
- Mehmet Vecihi Bey
- Istatistik Basmemuru
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- Rüşdiye school (Rüşdiye Mektebi)
- Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf)
- Muslim (Müslüman)
- Assistant director (Müdür Muavini)
- 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)