Official
Mehmet Ali Bey
Muslim (Müslüman). Born in Istanbul (Dersaadet) in 1865/66 (AH 1282). On record 1882 to 1896, 13 annual entries. Death recorded 1897/98.
Archive reference 0065_0146; 389
Life#
Mehmet Ali Bey was born in Istanbul in 1865/66 (AH 1282) into the Muslim (Müslüman) community. Schooling took seven years, at a middle school (Rüşdiye Mektebi); Mehmet Ali also attended the telegraph school.
At about 14, in 1878/79, Mehmet Ali began work in Istanbul, with four unpaid years as a mülazım (apprentice) before a first salary of 285 kuruş. The first annual entry, for 1882/83, places Mehmet Ali in Komotini (Gümülcine) as a communications official (Muhabere Memuru), where the entries run to 1886/87. Mehmet Ali then moved to Skopje (Üsküp), Prizren, Prijepolje (Prepol) and Giannitsa (Yenice-i Vardar), four places in seven years, with a rise to postal official (Posta Memuru) in 1887/88 and to chief communications official (Başmuhabere Memuru) in 1891/92. The last post was in Seydişehir in 1895/96.
Pay rose from 285 kuruş a month in 1882/83 to a peak of 570 in 1891/92, as Başmuhabere Memuru in Prijepolje, when 58 per cent of paid officials earned less. After the last annual entry, for 1895/96, the list of 1897/98 (AH 1315) 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 1865/66 (AH 1282); First work 1878/79 (AH 1296)
1882 to 1887 (AH 1300 to 1304)
285 kuruş a month; entries in 5 years
1891 to 1893 (AH 1309 to 1310)
570 kuruş a month; entries in 2 years
1895/96 (AH 1313)
No annual entry for 1894/95 (AH 1312) before it.
500 kuruş a month; entries in 1 year
Death recorded in the annual list of 1897/98 (AH 1315): 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1882/83 | 285 | 500 | 400 | 8% |
| 1883/84 | 285 | 500 | 400 | 9% |
| 1884/85 | 285 | 500 | 400 | 9% |
| 1885/86 | 285 | 500 | 400 | 9% |
| 1886/87 | 285 | 500 | 400 | 9% |
| 1887/88 | 400 | 500 | 400 | 27% |
| 1888/89 | 380 | 500 | 400 | 21% |
| 1889/90 | 380 | 500 | 400 | 21% |
| 1890/91 | 380 | 500 | 400 | 22% |
| 1891/92 | 570 | 500 | 600 | 58% |
| 1892/93 | 570 | 500 | 600 | 58% |
| 1893/94 | 500 | 500 | 400 | 46% |
| 1895/96 | 500 | 500 | 600 | 47% |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1878/79AH 1296 | First work | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 285first-salary field |
| 1882 to 1887AH 1300 to 1304 | Muhabere Memuru | Komotini (Gümülcine) | 285 |
| 1887/88AH 1305 | Posta Memuru | Skopje (Üsküp) | 400 |
| 1888 to 1891AH 1306 to 1308 | Muhabere Memuru | Prizren | 380 |
| 1891 to 1893AH 1309 to 1310 | Başmuhabere Memuru | Prijepolje (Prepol) | 570 |
| 1893/94AH 1311 | Muhabere Memuru | Giannitsa (Yenice-i Vardar) | 500 |
| No annual entry: 1894/95 (AH 1312) | |||
| 1895/96AH 1313 | 3. Müdür | Seydişehir | 500 |
| 1897/98AH 1315 | Death recorded | ||
Record#
Personal
- Born
- 1865/66 (AH 1282)
- Birthplace
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- Community
- Muslim (Müslüman)
- Nationality as recorded
- Turkish
- Death recorded
- 1897/98 (AH 1315)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)
- Higher or professional
- Telgraf Mektebitelegraph school; recorded as a code
- Unpaid years (mülazemet)
- 4 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
- 1878/79 (AH 1296)
- Place
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- First salary field (kuruş a month)
- 285
Legal records
- Legal record note as worded
- işret / Mumaileyh işrete inhimaki cihetiyle vazifesine vaktiyle devam ve defaatle edilen tenbihatı ısga etmediğinden bin üç yüz on iki senesi şehr-i Muharremü'l-haramının yirmi altısında 18 Temmuz sene 1310 mucib-i intibahı olmak üzere iki günlük maaşı kat‘ edilmiştir.; işret / Mumaileyh sarhoşluk ile devamsızlığı yüzünden memuriyetini terk ile savuşmuş olmasından naşi bir müddet açıkta kalıp mütenebbih olmak üzere müstafi nazarıyla bakılarak bin üç yüz on iki senesi Cemaziyelevveli gurresinde 18 Teşrinievvel sene1310 açığa çıkarılmıştır.; işret / mübtela-yı ayş u işret olup âşar müzayede zamanı vazifesini bi-hakkın ifa eylememesinden halkın o yerdeki(?) rağbetine halel vermesi ve kendisinin tevbih ile mütenebbih olmaması cihetiyle tekerrürü halinde azli; İşret
- Years (AH) with a criminal-record mark in the annual records
- 1313
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 5 officials with entries in Komotini (Gümülcine) in the same years, Mehmet Ali Bey had the lowest salary.
- Ahmet Hilmi Efendi5 shared years; highest salary 675 kuruş
- İsmail Hakki Efendi4 shared years; highest salary 1,200 kuruş
- İbrahim Hilmi Efendi4 shared years; highest salary 600 kuruş
- Mehmet Emin Efendi1 shared year; highest salary 600 kuruş
Same job title, same years
Of the 1,255 officials with the title Muhabere Memuru in the same years, Mehmet Ali Bey had the 749th highest salary.
- Mehmet Arif Efendi9 shared years; highest salary 3,600 kuruş
- Halil Habib Efendi9 shared years; highest salary 3,000 kuruş
- Mehmet Hulusi Bey9 shared years; highest salary 2,600 kuruş
- Mustafa Enver Efendi9 shared years; highest salary 2,000 kuruş
- Mehmet Tevfik Efendi9 shared years; highest salary 1,500 kuruş
Same school
Of the 3,206 officials with Rüşdiye Mektebi among their schools, 3,200 have a recorded salary; Mehmet Ali Bey had the 1,111th highest salary of them.
- Abdulkadir Efendiborn 1865/66 (AH 1282); highest salary 750 kuruş
- Abdullah Sıtkı Efendiborn 1865/66 (AH 1282); highest salary 500 kuruş
- Abdurrahman Faik Efendiborn 1865/66 (AH 1282); highest salary 300 kuruş
- Abdurrahman Feyzi Efendiborn 1865/66 (AH 1282); highest salary 720 kuruş
- Ahmet Şefik Efendiborn 1865/66 (AH 1282); highest salary 600 kuruş
Same birthplace
Of the 1,999 officials born in Istanbul, 1,997 have a recorded salary; Mehmet Ali Bey had the 919th highest salary of them.
- Abdulkadir Efendiborn 1865/66 (AH 1282); highest salary 750 kuruş
- Ahmet Şevki Efendiborn 1865/66 (AH 1282); highest salary 400 kuruş
- Ali Naci Efendiborn 1865/66 (AH 1282); highest salary 200 kuruş
- Ali Rıza Efendiborn 1865/66 (AH 1282); highest salary 1,700 kuruş
- Erdetsi Ohanyan Efendiborn 1865/66 (AH 1282); highest salary 600 kuruş
First annual entry in the same year
Of the 88 officials whose first annual entry is for 1882/83 (AH 1300), Mehmet Ali Bey had the 52nd highest salary.
- Hasan Tahsin Efendifirst entry in Larissa (Yenişehir-i Fener); highest salary 900 kuruş
- İbrahim Razıyyüttin Efendifirst entry in İzmit; highest salary 1,000 kuruş
- İsmail Fehmi Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 1,300 kuruş
- Mustafa Necati Efendifirst entry in Keşan; highest salary 500 kuruş
- Ahmet Efendifirst entry in Beyoğlu; highest salary 500 kuruş
Full record
Annual entries (13)
| Year | Title | Place | Kuruş a month | Institution | Source | Archive reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1882/83AH 1300 | Muhabere Memuru | Komotini (Gümülcine) | 285 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0146; 389 |
| 1883/84AH 1301 | Muhabere Memuru | Komotini (Gümülcine) | 285 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0146; 389 |
| 1884/85AH 1302 | Muhabere Memuru | Komotini (Gümülcine) | 285 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0146; 389 |
| 1885/86AH 1303 | Muhabere Memuru | Komotini (Gümülcine) | 285 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0146; 389 |
| 1886/87AH 1304 | Muhabere Memuru | Komotini (Gümülcine) | 285 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0146; 389 |
| 1887/88AH 1305 | Posta Memuru | Skopje (Üsküp) | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0146; 389 |
| 1888/89AH 1306 | Muhabere Memuru | Prizren | 380 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0146; 389 |
| 1889/90AH 1307 | Muhabere Memuru | Prizren | 380 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0146; 389 |
| 1890/91AH 1308 | Muhabere Memuru | Prizren | 380 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0146; 389 |
| 1891/92AH 1309 | Başmuhabere Memuru | Prijepolje (Prepol) | 570 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0146; 389 |
| 1892/93AH 1310 | Başmuhabere Memuru | Prijepolje (Prepol) | 570 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0146; 389 |
| 1893/94AH 1311 | Muhabere Memuru | Giannitsa (Yenice-i Vardar) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0146; 389 |
| 1895/96AH 1313 | 3. Müdür | Seydişehir | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0146; 389 |
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 (20)
| Field | Recorded value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | ||
| Name | Mehmet Ali Bey | Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Birth year (AH) | 1282 | 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 | 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 |
| Telegraph school (recorded code) | 1 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Years of apprenticeship (mülazemet) | 4 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First work | ||
| First work: year (AH) | 1296 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First work: Gregorian year as stored | 1879 | 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) | 285 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Legal records | ||
| Legal record note as worded | işret / Mumaileyh işrete inhimaki cihetiyle vazifesine vaktiyle devam ve defaatle edilen tenbihatı ısga etmediğinden bin üç yüz on iki senesi şehr-i Muharremü'l-haramının yirmi altısında 18 Temmuz sene 1310 mucib-i intibahı olmak üzere iki günlük maaşı kat‘ edilmiştir. used on this page | Legal notes (earlier workbook copy); Legal notes (later workbook copy) |
| Legal record note as worded | işret / Mumaileyh sarhoşluk ile devamsızlığı yüzünden memuriyetini terk ile savuşmuş olmasından naşi bir müddet açıkta kalıp mütenebbih olmak üzere müstafi nazarıyla bakılarak bin üç yüz on iki senesi Cemaziyelevveli gurresinde 18 Teşrinievvel sene1310 açığa çıkarılmıştır. other value | Legal notes (earlier workbook copy); Legal notes (later workbook copy) |
| Legal record note as worded | işret / mübtela-yı ayş u işret olup âşar müzayede zamanı vazifesini bi-hakkın ifa eylememesinden halkın o yerdeki(?) rağbetine halel vermesi ve kendisinin tevbih ile mütenebbih olmaması cihetiyle tekerrürü halinde azli other value | Legal notes (earlier workbook copy); Legal notes (later workbook copy) |
| Legal record note as worded | İşret other value | Legal notes (earlier workbook copy); Legal notes (later workbook copy) |
| Years (AH) with a criminal-record mark in the annual records | 1313 | Later annual personnel extract |
| Status | ||
| Death recorded under the year (AH) | 1315 | 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.
- 13 annual entries of 13 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 Ali Bey
- Communications official (Muhabere Memuru)
- Komotini (Gümülcine)
- 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)