Official
Mehmet Ali Efendi
Muslim (Müslüman). Born in Istanbul (Dersaadet) in 1863/64 (AH 1280). On record 1881 to 1890, 9 annual entries.
Archive reference 23_33; 63
Life#
Born in Istanbul in 1863/64 (AH 1280) into the Muslim (Müslüman) community, Mehmet Ali Efendi was the child of a tradesman (esnaf). Schooling took seven years, at a middle school (Rüşdiye Mektebi); Mehmet Ali also attended the telegraph school.
At about 13, in 1876/77, Mehmet Ali began work in Istanbul, with six unpaid years as a mülazım (apprentice) before a first salary of 285 kuruş. Few began so young; fewer than 6 per cent of the 5,128 officials whose age at first work is known started at 13 or younger. The first annual entry, for 1881/82, places Mehmet Ali in Thessaloniki (Selanik) as a communications official (Muhabere Memuru), where the entries run to 1885/86. The last posts were in Karakarye from 1886 to 1890.
Pay rose from 285 kuruş a month in 1881/82 to a peak of 500 in 1886/87, as Muhabere Memuru in Karakarye, when 42 per cent of paid officials earned less. The final annual entry is for 1889/90.
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 1863/64 (AH 1280); First work 1876/77 (AH 1293)
1881 to 1886 (AH 1299 to 1303)
285 to 380 kuruş a month; entries in 5 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, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1881/82 | 285 | 500 | 400 | 400 | 10% |
| 1882/83 | 380 | 500 | 400 | 500 | 18% |
| 1883/84 | 380 | 500 | 400 | 462.5 | 18% |
| 1884/85 | 380 | 500 | 400 | 500 | 18% |
| 1885/86 | 380 | 500 | 400 | 500 | 19% |
| 1886/87 | 500 | 500 | 400 | 500 | 42% |
| 1887/88 | 500 | 500 | 400 | 500 | 41% |
| 1888/89 | 500 | 500 | 400 | 500 | 41% |
| 1889/90 | 500 | 500 | 400 | 500 | 42% |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1876/77AH 1293 | First work | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 285first-salary field |
| 1881 to 1886AH 1299 to 1303 | Muhabere Memuru | Thessaloniki (Selanik) | 285 to 380 |
| 1886 to 1890AH 1304 to 1307 | Muhabere Memuru | Karakarye | 500 |
Record#
Personal
- Born
- 1863/64 (AH 1280)
- Birthplace
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- Community
- Muslim (Müslüman)
- Nationality as recorded
- Turkish
- Father's occupation
- Esnaf
Education
- Rüşdiye
- Rüşdiye Mektebi (7 years)rüşdiye school (middle school)
- Higher or professional
- Telgraf Mektebitelegraph school; recorded as a code
- Unpaid years (mülazemet)
- 6 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
- 1876/77 (AH 1293)
- Place
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- First salary field (kuruş a month)
- 285
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 36 officials who held Muhabere Memuru in Thessaloniki (Selanik) in the same years, Mehmet Ali Efendi had the 24th highest salary.
- Yusuf Mişon Efendi5 shared years; highest salary 1,280 kuruş
- Mehmet Hayri Efendi5 shared years; highest salary 1,000 kuruş
- Sadık Efendi5 shared years; highest salary 800 kuruş
- Hasan Nazmi Efendi5 shared years; highest salary 700 kuruş
- Mehmet Raif Efendi5 shared years; highest salary 500 kuruş
Same place, same years
Of the 72 officials with entries in Thessaloniki (Selanik) in the same years, Mehmet Ali Efendi had the 57th highest salary.
- Haci Tahsin Efendi5 shared years; highest salary 6,000 kuruş
- Unnamed official (0049_0034; 65)5 shared years; highest salary 3,000 kuruş
- Mehmet Rasim Efendi5 shared years; highest salary 2,500 kuruş
- Esad Efendi5 shared years; highest salary 1,500 kuruş
- Yusuf Mişon Efendi5 shared years; highest salary 1,280 kuruş
Same job title, same years
Of the 953 officials with the title Muhabere Memuru in the same years, Mehmet Ali Efendi had the 688th highest salary.
- Mehmet Arif Efendi9 shared years; highest salary 3,600 kuruş
- Mehmet Hulusi Bey9 shared years; highest salary 2,600 kuruş
- Ahmet Efendi9 shared years; highest salary 2,500 kuruş
- Ali Bey9 shared years; highest salary 2,000 kuruş
- Mustafa Enver Efendi9 shared years; highest salary 2,000 kuruş
Same school
Of the 3,206 officials with Rüşdiye Mektebi among their schools, 3,200 have a recorded salary; Mehmet Ali Efendi had the 1,253rd highest salary of them.
- Ahmet Faiz Efendborn 1863/64 (AH 1280); highest salary 5,400 kuruş
- Ahmet Hamdi Efendiborn 1863/64 (AH 1280); highest salary 500 kuruş
- Ahmet Refik Efendiborn 1863/64 (AH 1280); highest salary 800 kuruş
- Ahmet Zihni Efendiborn 1863/64 (AH 1280); highest salary 600 kuruş
- ALİ RIZA EFENDİborn 1863/64 (AH 1280); highest salary 800 kuruş
Same birthplace
Of the 1,999 officials born in Istanbul, 1,997 have a recorded salary; Mehmet Ali Efendi had the 986th highest salary of them.
- Ahmet Cemal Efendiborn 1863/64 (AH 1280); highest salary 600 kuruş
- Ahmet Faiz Efendborn 1863/64 (AH 1280); highest salary 5,400 kuruş
- Ahmet Hamdi Efendiborn 1863/64 (AH 1280); highest salary 500 kuruş
- Ali Rıza Efendiborn 1863/64 (AH 1280); highest salary 4,750 kuruş
- Aram Efendiborn 1863/64 (AH 1280); highest salary 1,000 kuruş
First annual entry in the same year
Of the 86 officials whose first annual entry is for 1881/82 (AH 1299), Mehmet Ali Efendi had the 56th highest salary.
- Sadık Efendifirst entry in Thessaloniki (Selanik); highest salary 800 kuruş
- Hüseyin Hüsnü Efendifirst entry in Bitola (Manastır); highest salary 750 kuruş
- Mahmut Aziz Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 550 kuruş
- Mehmet Sabri Efendifirst entry in Izmir (İzmir); highest salary 400 kuruş
- Salih Zeki Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 2,500 kuruş
All 86 officials whose first annual entry is for 1881/82 (AH 1299)
Full record
Annual entries (9)
| Year | Title | Place | Kuruş a month | Institution | Source | Archive reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1881/82AH 1299 | Muhabere Memuru | Thessaloniki (Selanik) | 285 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 23_33; 63 |
| 1882/83AH 1300 | Muhabere Memuru | Thessaloniki (Selanik) | 380 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 23_33; 63 |
| 1883/84AH 1301 | Muhabere Memuru | Thessaloniki (Selanik) | 380 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 23_33; 63 |
| 1884/85AH 1302 | Muhabere Memuru | Thessaloniki (Selanik) | 380 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 23_33; 63 |
| 1885/86AH 1303 | Muhabere Memuru | Thessaloniki (Selanik) | 380 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 23_33; 63 |
| 1886/87AH 1304 | Muhabere Memuru | Karakarye | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 23_33; 63 |
| 1887/88AH 1305 | Muhabere Memuru | Karakarye | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 23_33; 63 |
| 1888/89AH 1306 | Muhabere Memuru | Karakarye | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 23_33; 63 |
| 1889/90AH 1307 | Muhabere Memuru | Karakarye | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 23_33; 63 |
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 (16)
| Field | Recorded value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | ||
| Name | Mehmet Ali Efendi | Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Birth year (AH) | 1280 used on this page | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Birth year (AH) | 1279 other value | 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 | 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 |
| Telegraph school (recorded code) | 1 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Years of apprenticeship (mülazemet) | 6 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First work | ||
| First work: year (AH) | 1293 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First work: Gregorian year as stored | 1876 | 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 |
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.
- The sources give more than one value for a marked field. Every value is listed.
- Origin of the record: Post and Telegraph personnel records.
- 9 annual entries of 9 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 Efendi
- Communications official (Muhabere Memuru)
- Thessaloniki (Selanik)
- 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)