Official
Mehmed Zekai Efendi
Muslim (Müslüman). Born in Kavala in 1852/53 (AH 1269). On record 1878 to 1897, 20 annual entries.
Archive reference 58- 0030
Life#
Mehmed Zekai Efendi was born in Kavala in 1852/53 (AH 1269), into the Muslim (Müslüman) community. Schooling took four years, at a school for young children (Sıbyan Mektebi).
At about 25, in 1878, Mehmed Zekai began work in Kavala, paid from the start, on 300 kuruş a month. The annual lists begin in 1878, with Mehmed Zekai as a postal official (Posta Memuru) in Kavala, the birthplace, where the entries run to 1886/87, with a rise to director of the third grade (3. Müdür) in 1879/80. From 1887 to 1897 every annual entry places Mehmed Zekai in Turgutlu (Kasaba).
The salary went from 300 kuruş a month in 1878 to 600 in 1879/80, the peak, as 3. Müdür in Kavala, when 61 per cent of paid officials earned less. Over 20 years the salaries add up to 136,080 kuruş, 1.1 times what an official on the median salary earned. The last annual entry is for 1896/97.
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 1852/53 (AH 1269); First work 1878 (AH 1295); 1878 to 1887 (AH 1295 to 1304)
Posta Memuru 1878 to 1879 (AH 1295 to 1296); 3. Müdür 1879 to 1887 (AH 1297 to 1304)
300 to 600 kuruş a month; entries in 10 years
1887 to 1897 (AH 1305 to 1314)
540 to 600 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, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1878 | 300 | 600 | 300 | 400 | 8% |
| 1878/79 | 300 | 600 | 300 | 400 | 9% |
| 1879/80 | 600 | 500 | 600 | 390 | 61% |
| 1880/81 | 600 | 500 | 600 | 400 | 60% |
| 1881/82 | 600 | 500 | 600 | 400 | 60% |
| 1882/83 | 600 | 500 | 600 | 500 | 59% |
| 1883/84 | 600 | 500 | 600 | 462.5 | 59% |
| 1884/85 | 600 | 500 | 600 | 500 | 59% |
| 1885/86 | 600 | 500 | 600 | 500 | 58% |
| 1886/87 | 600 | 500 | 600 | 500 | 59% |
| 1887/88 | 600 | 500 | 400 | 500 | 58% |
| 1888/89 | 600 | 500 | 400 | 600 | 58% |
| 1889/90 | 600 | 500 | 400 | 600 | 58% |
| 1890/91 | 600 | 500 | 400 | 600 | 59% |
| 1891/92 | 600 | 500 | 400 | 575 | 59% |
| 1892/93 | 600 | 500 | 400 | 500 | 59% |
| 1893/94 | 600 | 500 | 400 | 500 | 60% |
| 1894/95 | 600 | 500 | 400 | 500 | 60% |
| 1895/96 | 600 | 500 | 400 | 500 | 59% |
| 1896/97 | 540 | 500 | 400 | 500 | 61% |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1878AH 1295 | First work | Kavala | 300first-salary field |
| 1878 to 1879AH 1295 to 1296 | Posta Memuru | Kavala | 300 |
| 1879 to 1887AH 1297 to 1304 | 3. Müdür | Kavala | 600 |
| 1887 to 1897AH 1305 to 1314 | Muhabere Memuru | Turgutlu (Kasaba) | 600 to 540 |
Record#
Personal
- Born
- 1852/53 (AH 1269)
- Birthplace
- Kavala
- Community
- Muslim (Müslüman)
- Nationality as recorded
- Turkish
Education
- Primary
- Sıbyan Mektebi (4 years)school for young children (primary school)
- Unpaid years (mülazemet)
- 0 years
- Preparation route (classification of the paper)
- Low
- Qualification (diploma, certificate, training or nişan)
- NoShown as in the flag of the paper. The qualification column of the recovered extract gives yes.
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 (AH 1295)
- Place
- Kavala
- First salary field (kuruş a month)
- 300
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 12 officials with entries in Kavala in the same years, Mehmed Zekai Efendi had the 8th highest salary.
- Yusuf Azmi Efendi10 shared years; highest salary 1,000 kuruş
- Servet Efendi7 shared years; highest salary 500 kuruş
- Ahmet Mümtaz Efendi4 shared years; highest salary 500 kuruş
- Mehmet Cemal Efendi3 shared years; highest salary 1,650 kuruş
- Aristidi Efendi2 shared years; highest salary 600 kuruş
Same job title, same years
Of the 1,539 officials with the title Muhabere Memuru in the same years, Mehmed Zekai Efendi had the 542nd highest salary.
- Mehmet Arif Efendi10 shared years; highest salary 3,600 kuruş
- Mehmet Hulusi Bey10 shared years; highest salary 2,600 kuruş
- Mehmet Tevfik Efendi10 shared years; highest salary 1,500 kuruş
- Mustafa Naili Efendi10 shared years; highest salary 1,500 kuruş
- Ömer Nuri Efendi10 shared years; highest salary 1,500 kuruş
Same school
Of the 746 officials with Sıbyan Mektebi among their schools, 745 have a recorded salary; Mehmed Zekai Efendi had the 400th highest salary of them.
- Ahmet Efendiborn 1852/53 (AH 1269); highest salary 475 kuruş
- Ahmet Muhtar Efendiborn 1852/53 (AH 1269); highest salary 2,500 kuruş
- Ahmet Refet Efendiborn 1852/53 (AH 1269); highest salary 3,000 kuruş
- Ali Efendiborn 1852/53 (AH 1269); highest salary 600 kuruş
- Ali Şefik Efendiborn 1852/53 (AH 1269); highest salary 450 kuruş
Same birthplace
Of the 5 officials born in Kavala, Mehmed Zekai Efendi had the 3rd highest salary.
- Ahmet Hilmi Efendiborn 1845 (AH 1261); highest salary 675 kuruş
- Ahmet Mümtaz Efendiborn 1861/62 (AH 1278); highest salary 500 kuruş
- Mehmet Reşit Efendiborn 1843/44 (AH 1259); highest salary 1,200 kuruş
- Hamid Hüsnü Efendiborn 1878/79 (AH 1296); highest salary 380 kuruş
First annual entry in the same year
Of the 42 officials whose first annual entry is for 1878 (AH 1295), Mehmed Zekai Efendi had the 25th highest salary.
- Ali Efendifirst entry in Muğla; highest salary 600 kuruş
- Bahcivan Oglu Kalparki Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 2,500 kuruş
- Mehmet Tevfik Efendifirst entry in Malatya; highest salary 360 kuruş
- Ahmet Hamdi Efendifirst entry in Gevaş; highest salary 600 kuruş
- Bekir Zuhtu Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 650 kuruş
Full record
Annual entries (20)
| Year | Title | Place | Kuruş a month | Institution | Source | Archive reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1878AH 1295 | Posta Memuru | Kavala | 300 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 0030 |
| 1878/79AH 1296 | Posta Memuru | Kavala | 300 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 0030 |
| 1879/80AH 1297 | 3. Müdür | Kavala | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 0030 |
| 1880/81AH 1298 | 3. Müdür | Kavala | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 0030 |
| 1881/82AH 1299 | 3. Müdür | Kavala | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 0030 |
| 1882/83AH 1300 | 3. Müdür | Kavala | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 0030 |
| 1883/84AH 1301 | 3. Müdür | Kavala | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 0030 |
| 1884/85AH 1302 | 3. Müdür | Kavala | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 0030 |
| 1885/86AH 1303 | 3. Müdür | Kavala | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 0030 |
| 1886/87AH 1304 | 3. Müdür | Kavala | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 0030 |
| 1887/88AH 1305 | Muhabere Memuru | Turgutlu (Kasaba) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 0030 |
| 1888/89AH 1306 | Muhabere Memuru | Turgutlu (Kasaba) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 0030 |
| 1889/90AH 1307 | Muhabere Memuru | Turgutlu (Kasaba) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 0030 |
| 1890/91AH 1308 | Muhabere Memuru | Turgutlu (Kasaba) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 0030 |
| 1891/92AH 1309 | Muhabere Memuru | Turgutlu (Kasaba) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 0030 |
| 1892/93AH 1310 | Muhabere Memuru | Turgutlu (Kasaba) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 0030 |
| 1893/94AH 1311 | Muhabere Memuru | Turgutlu (Kasaba) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 0030 |
| 1894/95AH 1312 | Muhabere Memuru | Turgutlu (Kasaba) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 0030 |
| 1895/96AH 1313 | Muhabere Memuru | Turgutlu (Kasaba) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 0030 |
| 1896/97AH 1314 | Muhabere Memuru | Turgutlu (Kasaba) | 540 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 0030 |
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 (13)
| Field | Recorded value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | ||
| Name | Mehmed Zekai Efendi | Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Birth year (AH) | 1269 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Birthplace | kavala | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Province of birth | selanik | 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 | Sibyan Mektebi | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Years of schooling | 4 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Years of apprenticeship (mülazemet) | 0 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First work | ||
| First work: year (AH) | 1295 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First work: Gregorian year as stored | 1878 | Recovered annual personnel extract |
| First work: place | Kavala | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First salary field (kuruş a month) | 300 | 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.
- Origin of the record: Post and Telegraph personnel records.
- 20 annual entries of 20 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
- Mehmed Zekai Efendi
- Communications official (Muhabere Memuru)
- Kavala
- School for young children (Sıbyan Mektebi)
- Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf)
- Muslim (Müslüman)
- Director of the third grade (3. Müdür)
- 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)