Official
Sepoh Basmacıyan Efendi
Armenian Christian (Ermeni). Born in Istanbul (Dersaadet) in 1870/71 (AH 1287). On record 1890 to 1907, 17 annual entries.
Archive reference 0062_0152; 299
Life#
Sepoh Basmacıyan Efendi was born in Istanbul in 1870/71 (AH 1287) into the Armenian Christian (Ermeni) community; the father was a tradesman (esnaf). Schooling took four years, at a community school (Millet Mektebi); Sepoh Basmacıyan also wrote French as well as Turkish.
Sepoh Basmacıyan began work in Istanbul in 1890/91, at about 20, with half a year without pay as a mülazım (apprentice) before a first salary of 50 kuruş. From 1890/91 to 1906/07 every annual entry places Sepoh Basmacıyan in Beyoğlu, first as an official (Memur), from 1893/94 as a communications official (Muhabere Memuru).
Pay rose from 50 kuruş a month in 1890/91 to a peak of 280 in 1906/07, as Muhabere Memuru in Beyoğlu, when 23 per cent of paid officials earned less. In all, 17 years of salary come to 33,180 kuruş, 33 per cent of what an official on the median salary earned in those years. The last annual entry is for 1906/07.
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 1870/71 (AH 1287); First work 1890/91 (AH 1308)
1890 to 1907 (AH 1308 to 1324)
Memur 1890 to 1893 (AH 1308 to 1310); Muhabere Memuru 1893 to 1907 (AH 1311 to 1324)
50 to 280 kuruş a month; entries in 17 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1890/91 | 50 | 500 | 285 | 500 | 0% |
| 1891/92 | 75 | 500 | 200 | 500 | 2% |
| 1892/93 | 75 | 500 | 200 | 500 | 2% |
| 1893/94 | 100 | 500 | 400 | 480 | 3% |
| 1894/95 | 100 | 500 | 400 | 450 | 3% |
| 1895/96 | 100 | 500 | 400 | 440 | 3% |
| 1896/97 | 100 | 500 | 400 | 425 | 2% |
| 1897/98 | 125 | 500 | 400 | 425 | 5% |
| 1898/99 | 160 | 500 | 400 | 440 | 7% |
| 1899/1900 | 200 | 500 | 400 | 450 | 7% |
| 1900/01 | 200 | 500 | 400 | 450 | 8% |
| 1901/02 | 200 | 500 | 400 | 440 | 9% |
| 1902/03 | 250 | 500 | 380 | 450 | 15% |
| 1903/04 | 250 | 475 | 350 | 450 | 14% |
| 1904/05 | 250 | 450 | 350 | 450 | 14% |
| 1905/06 | 250 | 475 | 330 | 425 | 14% |
| 1906/07 | 280 | 450 | 300 | 470 | 23% |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1890/91AH 1308 | First work | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 50first-salary field |
| 1890 to 1893AH 1308 to 1310 | Memur | Beyoğlu | 50 to 75 |
| 1893 to 1907AH 1311 to 1324 | Muhabere Memuru | Beyoğlu | 100 to 280 |
Record#
Personal
- Born
- 1870/71 (AH 1287)
- Birthplace
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- Community
- Armenian Christian (Ermeni)
- Nationality as recorded
- Ermeni
- Father's occupation
- Esnaf
Education
- Community school
- Millet Mektebi (4 years)community school (school of a non-Muslim community)
- Unpaid years (mülazemet)
- 0.5 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
- French
- Kitabetwriting
- Turkish
- Kitabetwriting
The glosses are cautious historical readings of the recorded words, not modern levels of proficiency.
First work
- Year
- 1890/91 (AH 1308)
- Place
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- First salary field (kuruş a month)
- 50
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 97 officials who held Muhabere Memuru in Beyoğlu in the same years, Sepoh Basmacıyan Efendi had the 76th highest salary.
- Nikola Yunani Efendi14 shared years; highest salary 1,350 kuruş
- Mehmet Esat Efendi14 shared years; highest salary 320 kuruş
- Kirfor Çalyan Efendi12 shared years; highest salary 420 kuruş
- Hüseyin Hüsnü Efendi11 shared years; highest salary 600 kuruş
- Hüseyin Hüsnü Efendi11 shared years; highest salary 550 kuruş
Same place, same years
Of the 317 officials with entries in Beyoğlu in the same years, Sepoh Basmacıyan Efendi had the 269th highest salary.
- Emrullah Efendi17 shared years; highest salary 10,000 kuruş
- Paskal Mıgırdıç Kazancıyan Efendi17 shared years; highest salary 2,905 kuruş
- Nikola Yunani Efendi17 shared years; highest salary 1,350 kuruş
- Taşçıyan Markar Efendi17 shared years; highest salary 1,300 kuruş
- Acemyan Dikran Efendi17 shared years; highest salary 1,100 kuruş
Same job title, same years
Of the 2,092 officials with the title Muhabere Memuru in the same years, Sepoh Basmacıyan Efendi had the 1,776th highest salary.
- Mehmet Hulusi Bey14 shared years; highest salary 2,600 kuruş
- Mustafa Fazıl Bey14 shared years; highest salary 1,700 kuruş
- Mehmet Sadullah Efendi14 shared years; highest salary 1,650 kuruş
- Mehmet Asım Efendi14 shared years; highest salary 1,550 kuruş
- Nikola Yunani Efendi14 shared years; highest salary 1,350 kuruş
Same school
Of the 263 officials with Millet Mektebi among their schools, Sepoh Basmacıyan Efendi had the 231st highest salary.
- Abdullah Hıtar Efendiborn 1870/71 (AH 1287); highest salary 550 kuruş
- Agop Efendiborn 1870/71 (AH 1287); highest salary 300 kuruş
- Begos Efendiborn 1870/71 (AH 1287); highest salary 140 kuruş
- Musa Efendiborn 1870/71 (AH 1287); highest salary 400 kuruş
- Serkiz Efendiborn 1870/71 (AH 1287); highest salary 600 kuruş
Same birthplace
Of the 1,999 officials born in Istanbul, 1,997 have a recorded salary; Sepoh Basmacıyan Efendi had the 1,537th highest salary of them.
- Agop Efendiborn 1870/71 (AH 1287); highest salary 150 kuruş
- Ahmed Talat Efendiborn 1870/71 (AH 1287); highest salary 500 kuruş
- Ahmet Avni Efendiborn 1870/71 (AH 1287); highest salary 500 kuruş
- Ahmet Avni Efendiborn 1870/71 (AH 1287); highest salary 5,000 kuruş
- Ahmet Hurşit Efendiborn 1870/71 (AH 1287); highest salary 400 kuruş
First annual entry in the same year
Of the 102 officials whose first annual entry is for 1890/91 (AH 1308), Sepoh Basmacıyan Efendi had the 93rd highest salary.
- Garofalidi Efendifirst entry in Beyoğlu; highest salary 100 kuruş
- Dahan Berhordar Efendifirst entry in Beyoğlu; highest salary 750 kuruş
- İstepan Çakmak Efendifirst entry in Beyoğlu; highest salary 500 kuruş
- Abdullah Hıtar Efendifirst entry in Tiberias (Taberiye); highest salary 550 kuruş
- Ahmet Nuri Efendifirst entry in Bursa; highest salary 400 kuruş
Full record
Annual entries (17)
| Year | Title | Place | Kuruş a month | Institution | Source | Archive reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1890/91AH 1308 | Memur | Beyoğlu | 50 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0152; 299 |
| 1891/92AH 1309 | Memur | Beyoğlu | 75 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0152; 299 |
| 1892/93AH 1310 | Memur | Beyoğlu | 75 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0152; 299 |
| 1893/94AH 1311 | Muhabere Memuru | Beyoğlu | 100 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0152; 299 |
| 1894/95AH 1312 | Muhabere Memuru | Beyoğlu | 100 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0152; 299 |
| 1895/96AH 1313 | Muhabere Memuru | Beyoğlu | 100 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0152; 299 |
| 1896/97AH 1314 | Muhabere Memuru | Beyoğlu | 100 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0152; 299 |
| 1897/98AH 1315 | Muhabere Memuru | Beyoğlu | 125 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0152; 299 |
| 1898/99AH 1316 | Muhabere Memuru | Beyoğlu | 160 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0152; 299 |
| 1899/1900AH 1317 | Muhabere Memuru | Beyoğlu | 200 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0152; 299 |
| 1900/01AH 1318 | Muhabere Memuru | Beyoğlu | 200 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0152; 299 |
| 1901/02AH 1319 | Muhabere Memuru | Beyoğlu | 200 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0152; 299 |
| 1902/03AH 1320 | Muhabere Memuru | Beyoğlu | 250 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0152; 299 |
| 1903/04AH 1321 | Muhabere Memuru | Beyoğlu | 250 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0152; 299 |
| 1904/05AH 1322 | Muhabere Memuru | Beyoğlu | 250 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0152; 299 |
| 1905/06AH 1323 | Muhabere Memuru | Beyoğlu | 250 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0152; 299 |
| 1906/07AH 1324 | Muhabere Memuru | Beyoğlu | 280 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0152; 299 |
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 (14)
| Field | Recorded value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | ||
| Name | Sepoh Basmacıyan Efendi | Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Birth year (AH) | 1287 | 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 | Hristiyan | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Nationality or community | Ermeni | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Schooling | ||
| School | Millet 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) | 0.5 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First work | ||
| First work: year (AH) | 1308 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First work: Gregorian year as stored | 1891 | 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) | 50 | 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.
- 16 annual entries of 17 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
- Sepoh Basmacıyan Efendi
- Communications official (Muhabere Memuru)
- Beyoğlu
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- Community school (Millet Mektebi)
- Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf)
- Armenian Christian (Ermeni)
- 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)