Official
Mehmet Cemal Efendi
Muslim (Müslüman). Born in Istanbul (Dersaadet) in 1847/48 (AH 1264). On record 1868 to 1900, 14 annual entries.
Archive reference 0095_0031; 059
Life#
Born in Istanbul in 1847/48 (AH 1264), Mehmet Cemal Efendi came from the Muslim (Müslüman) community; the father was a tradesman (esnaf). Schooling took seven years, at a middle school (Rüşdiye Mektebi).
Work began in the telegraph service (Telgraf) in Baghdad (Bağdat) in 1868/69, at about 20, paid from the start, on 750 kuruş a month. The first annual entry, for 1868/69, places Mehmet Cemal in Baghdad as a machine official (Makine Memuru), where the entries run to 1883/84. The lists have no entry for 1869 to 1878 and 1884 to 1893. From 1893 to 1900 the annual entries place Mehmet Cemal in Istanbul, the birthplace, with a rise to factory official (Fabrika Memuru).
The salary never rose above the first in the lists, 750 kuruş a month in 1868/69, as Makine Memuru in Baghdad, when 60 per cent of paid officials earned less. The peak lasted a single year; the next list gives 250 kuruş. Over 14 years pay ended below where it began, 640 kuruş against 750. The last annual entry is for 1899/1900.
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 1847/48 (AH 1264)
First work 1868/69 (AH 1285); 1868 to 1884 (AH 1285 to 1301)
First work as Telgraf
Makine Memuru 1868/69 (AH 1285); Mektubi Kalemi 1878 to 1884 (AH 1296 to 1301)
250 to 750 kuruş a month; entries in 7 years
No annual entry for 1869 to 1878 (AH 1286 to 1295).
1893 to 1900 (AH 1311 to 1317)
No annual entry for 1884 to 1893 (AH 1302 to 1310) before it.
540 to 640 kuruş a month; entries in 7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1868/69 | 750 | 600 | 442.5 | 800 | 60% |
| 1878/79 | 250 | 600 | 400 | 700 | 7% |
| 1879/80 | 250 | 500 | 380 | 475 | 10% |
| 1880/81 | 250 | 500 | 380 | 475 | 8% |
| 1881/82 | 500 | 500 | 450 | 570 | 46% |
| 1882/83 | 500 | 500 | 475 | 500 | 43% |
| 1883/84 | 500 | 500 | 500 | 500 | 43% |
| 1893/94 | 600 | 500 | 500 | 480 | 60% |
| 1894/95 | 600 | 500 | 500 | 450 | 60% |
| 1895/96 | 600 | 500 | 500 | 440 | 59% |
| 1896/97 | 540 | 500 | 500 | 425 | 61% |
| 1897/98 | 540 | 500 | 500 | 425 | 61% |
| 1898/99 | 540 | 500 | 504 | 440 | 61% |
| 1899/1900 | 640 | 500 | 554 | 450 | 74% |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1868/69AH 1285 | Telgraffirst work | Baghdad (Bağdat) | 750first-salary field |
| 1868/69AH 1285 | Makine Memuru | Baghdad (Bağdat) | 750 |
| No annual entry: 1869 to 1878 (AH 1286 to 1295) | |||
| 1878 to 1884AH 1296 to 1301 | Mektubi Kalemi | Baghdad (Bağdat) | 250 to 500 |
| No annual entry: 1884 to 1893 (AH 1302 to 1310) | |||
| 1893 to 1900AH 1311 to 1317 | Fabrika Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 600 to 640 |
Record#
Personal
- Born
- 1847/48 (AH 1264)
- Birthplace
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- Community
- Muslim (Müslüman)
- Nationality as recorded
- Turkish
- Father's occupation
- Esnaf
Education
- Rüşdiye
- Rüşdiye Mektebi (7 years)rüşdiye school (middle school)
- Unpaid years (mülazemet)
- 0 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
- 1868/69 (AH 1285)
- Place
- Baghdad (Bağdat)
- First job as worded
- Telgraf
- Age at first work (workbook field)
- 21
- First salary field (kuruş a month)
- 750
- First-job salary of the original workbook (kuruş a month)
- 750
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 15 officials who held Fabrika Memuru in Istanbul in the same years, Mehmet Cemal Efendi had the 4th highest salary.
- Ahmet Faik Efendi7 shared years; highest salary 1,170 kuruş
- İstepan Efendi7 shared years; highest salary 960 kuruş
- Mehmet İbrahim Efendi7 shared years; highest salary 800 kuruş
- Mehmet Tevfik Efendi7 shared years; highest salary 700 kuruş
- Ali Rıza Efendi7 shared years; highest salary 600 kuruş
Same place, same years
Of the 40 officials with entries in Baghdad (Bağdat) in the same years, Mehmet Cemal Efendi had the 26th highest salary.
- Abdurrezzak Efendi7 shared years; highest salary 1,500 kuruş
- Antuvan Latini Efendi6 shared years; highest salary 1,000 kuruş
- Ahmet Tevfik Efendi6 shared years; highest salary 800 kuruş
- Mehmed Şükrü Efendi6 shared years; highest salary 600 kuruş
- Mehmet Salih Efendi6 shared years; highest salary 600 kuruş
Same job title, same years
Of the 16 officials with the title Fabrika Memuru in the same years, Mehmet Cemal Efendi had the 4th highest salary.
- Ahmet Faik Efendi7 shared years; highest salary 1,170 kuruş
- İstepan Efendi7 shared years; highest salary 960 kuruş
- Mehmet İbrahim Efendi7 shared years; highest salary 800 kuruş
- Mehmet Tevfik Efendi7 shared years; highest salary 700 kuruş
- Ali Şefik Efendi7 shared years; highest salary 640 kuruş
Same school
Of the 3,206 officials with Rüşdiye Mektebi among their schools, 3,200 have a recorded salary; Mehmet Cemal Efendi had the 634th highest salary of them.
- Ahmet Rıza Efendiborn 1847/48 (AH 1264); highest salary 150 kuruş
- Ali Mazlum Efendiborn 1847/48 (AH 1264); highest salary 600 kuruş
- Ali Rıza Efendiborn 1847/48 (AH 1264); highest salary 700 kuruş
- Ali Rıza Efendiborn 1847/48 (AH 1264); highest salary 600 kuruş
- Eşref Bahtiyar Efendiborn 1847/48 (AH 1264); highest salary 800 kuruş
Same birthplace
Of the 1,999 officials born in Istanbul, 1,997 have a recorded salary; Mehmet Cemal Efendi had the 625th highest salary of them.
- Abdurrahman Şakir Beyborn 1847/48 (AH 1264); highest salary 1,500 kuruş
- Acemyan Dikran Efendiborn 1847/48 (AH 1264); highest salary 1,100 kuruş
- Afif Efendiborn 1847/48 (AH 1264); highest salary 800 kuruş
- Ahmet Nazif Efendiborn 1847/48 (AH 1264); highest salary 950 kuruş
- Ahmet Rıza Efendiborn 1847/48 (AH 1264); highest salary 150 kuruş
First annual entry in the same year
Of the 89 officials whose first annual entry is for 1868/69 (AH 1285), Mehmet Cemal Efendi had the 61st highest salary.
- Hamparsom Akna Efendifirst entry in Beyoğlu; highest salary 500 kuruş
- Hazarusyan Misbak Efendifirst entry in Beyoğlu; highest salary 800 kuruş
- Kosta Efendifirst entry in Vlorë (Avlonya); highest salary 800 kuruş
- Mehmet Efendifirst entry in Antakya; highest salary 1,800 kuruş
- Mehmet Faik Efendifirst entry in Cizre; highest salary 600 kuruş
Full record
Annual entries (14)
| Year | Title | Place | Kuruş a month | Institution | Source | Archive reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1868/69AH 1285 | Makine Memuru | Baghdad (Bağdat) | 750 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0095_0031; 059 |
| 1878/79AH 1296 | Mektubi Kalemi | Baghdad (Bağdat) | 250 | Other | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 0095_0031; 059 |
| 1879/80AH 1297 | Mektubi Kalemi | Baghdad (Bağdat) | 250 | Other | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 0095_0031; 059 |
| 1880/81AH 1298 | Mektubi Kalemi | Baghdad (Bağdat) | 250 | Other | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 0095_0031; 059 |
| 1881/82AH 1299 | Mektubi Kalemi | Baghdad (Bağdat) | 500 | Other | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 0095_0031; 059 |
| 1882/83AH 1300 | Mektubi Kalemi | Baghdad (Bağdat) | 500 | Other | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 0095_0031; 059 |
| 1883/84AH 1301 | Mektubi Kalemi | Baghdad (Bağdat) | 500 | Other | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 0095_0031; 059 |
| 1893/94AH 1311 | Fabrika Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0095_0031; 059 |
| 1894/95AH 1312 | Fabrika Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0095_0031; 059 |
| 1895/96AH 1313 | Fabrika Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0095_0031; 059 |
| 1896/97AH 1314 | Fabrika Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 540 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0095_0031; 059 |
| 1897/98AH 1315 | Fabrika Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 540 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0095_0031; 059 |
| 1898/99AH 1316 | Fabrika Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 540 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0095_0031; 059 |
| 1899/1900AH 1317 | Fabrika Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 640 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0095_0031; 059 |
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 (24)
| Field | Recorded value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | ||
| Name | Mehmet Cemal Efendi | Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Linked personnel workbook |
| Birth year (AH) | 1264 | 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 | Esnaf | 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 |
| Years of schooling | 7 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Years of apprenticeship (mülazemet) | 0 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First work | ||
| First work: year (AH) | 1285 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Linked personnel workbook |
| First work: Gregorian year as stored | 1868 | Recovered annual personnel extract |
| First work: place | Bagdat | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First work: district (kaza) | Bagdat | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First work: sancak | Bagdat | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First work: province (vilayet) | Bagdat | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First job as worded | Telgraf | Linked personnel workbook; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Age at first work (workbook field) | 21 | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First salary field (kuruş a month) | 750 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First-job salary of the original workbook (kuruş a month) | 750 | Linked personnel workbook; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
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.
- 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.
- 7 annual entries of 14 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 Cemal Efendi
- Factory official (Fabrika Memuru)
- Baghdad (Bağdat)
- 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)