Official
Ahmet Şevki Efendi
Muslim (Müslüman). Born in Istanbul (Dersaadet) in 1874/75 (AH 1291). On record 1893 to 1906, 13 annual entries.
Archive reference 89_104; 205
Life#
Born in Istanbul in 1874/75 (AH 1291), Ahmet Şevki Efendi came from the Muslim (Müslüman) community; the father's occupation was "PT Nezaret Muduru". Ahmet Şevki had seven years of schooling, at a middle school (Rüşdiye Mektebi), and wrote Turkish and spoke French.
Work began in the telegraph service (Telgraf) in Istanbul in 1893/94, at about 19, paid from the start, on 200 kuruş a month. The first annual entry, for 1893/94, places Ahmet Şevki in Istanbul, the birthplace, in the accounts office (Muhasebe Kalemi), where the entries run to 1904/05, with a rise to a post in the documents office (Evrak Kalemi) in 1903/04. The last entry, for 1905/06, names neither a title nor a place.
The salary went from 200 kuruş a month in 1893/94 to 550 in 1903/04, the peak, in the Evrak Kalemi in Istanbul, when 65 per cent of paid officials earned less. The last annual entry is for 1905/06. Ahmet Şevki received a medal.
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 1874/75 (AH 1291); First work 1893/94 (AH 1311); 1893 to 1905 (AH 1311 to 1322)
First work as Telgraf
Muhasebe Kalemi 1893 to 1903 (AH 1311 to 1320); Evrak Kalemi 1903 to 1905 (AH 1321 to 1322)
200 to 550 kuruş a month; entries in 12 years
Place not recorded
1905/06 (AH 1323)
entries in 1 year
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1893/94 | 200 | 500 | 200 | 9% |
| 1894/95 | 240 | 500 | 250 | 13% |
| 1895/96 | 240 | 500 | 250 | 13% |
| 1896/97 | 300 | 500 | 245 | 18% |
| 1897/98 | 325 | 500 | 275 | 26% |
| 1898/99 | 325 | 500 | 262.5 | 26% |
| 1899/1900 | 400 | 500 | 300 | 31% |
| 1900/01 | 500 | 500 | 300 | 47% |
| 1901/02 | 500 | 500 | 340 | 49% |
| 1902/03 | 500 | 500 | 350 | 49% |
| 1903/04 | 550 | 475 | 240 | 65% |
| 1904/05 | 550 | 450 | 300 | 65% |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1893/94AH 1311 | Telgraffirst work | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 200first-salary field |
| 1893 to 1903AH 1311 to 1320 | Muhasebe Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 200 to 500 |
| 1903 to 1905AH 1321 to 1322 | Evrak Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 550 |
| 1905/06AH 1323 |
Record#
Personal
- Born
- 1874/75 (AH 1291)
- Birthplace
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- Community
- Muslim (Müslüman)
- Nationality as recorded
- Turkish
- Father's occupation
- PT Nezaret Muduru
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
- French
- Tekellumspeaking
- Turkish
- Kitabetwriting
The glosses are cautious historical readings of the recorded words, not modern levels of proficiency.
First work
- Year
- 1893/94 (AH 1311)
- Place
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- First job as worded
- Telgraf
- Age at first work (workbook field)
- 20
- First salary field (kuruş a month)
- 200
- First-job salary of the original workbook (kuruş a month)
- 200
Honours and ranks
- Medal (recorded code)
- 1
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 1,068 officials with entries in Istanbul in the same years, Ahmet Şevki Efendi had the 538th highest salary.
- Salahattin Bey12 shared years; highest salary 7,800 kuruş
- Suleyman Resat Bey12 shared years; highest salary 7,000 kuruş
- Mehmet Hayri Bey12 shared years; highest salary 5,500 kuruş
- Mehmet Asaf Bey12 shared years; highest salary 5,000 kuruş
- Melkok Efendi12 shared years; highest salary 5,000 kuruş
Same job title, same years
Of the 123 officials with the title Muhasebe Kalemi in the same years, Ahmet Şevki Efendi had the 57th highest salary.
- Hüseyin Rıza Efendi10 shared years; highest salary 1,500 kuruş
- Refet Efendi10 shared years; highest salary 1,480 kuruş
- Mehmet Kemal Efendi10 shared years; highest salary 1,300 kuruş
- Mehmet Tevfik Efendi10 shared years; highest salary 1,300 kuruş
- Mehmet Şemsettin Efendi10 shared years; highest salary 1,000 kuruş
Same school
Of the 3,206 officials with Rüşdiye Mektebi among their schools, 3,200 have a recorded salary; Ahmet Şevki Efendi had the 1,120th highest salary of them.
- Abdülgani Efendiborn 1874/75 (AH 1291); highest salary 200 kuruş
- Abdullah Halit Efendiborn 1874/75 (AH 1291); highest salary 1,000 kuruş
- Abdullah Kemal Beyborn 1874/75 (AH 1291); highest salary 100 kuruş
- Abdullah Kemal Beyborn 1874/75 (AH 1291); highest salary 800 kuruş
- Abdurrahman Tahsin Efendiborn 1874/75 (AH 1291); highest salary 500 kuruş
Same birthplace
Of the 1,999 officials born in Istanbul, 1,997 have a recorded salary; Ahmet Şevki Efendi had the 927th highest salary of them.
- Abdullah Kemal Beyborn 1874/75 (AH 1291); highest salary 100 kuruş
- Abdullah Kemal Beyborn 1874/75 (AH 1291); highest salary 800 kuruş
- Abdurrahman Tahsin Efendiborn 1874/75 (AH 1291); highest salary 500 kuruş
- Ahmed Gazi Efendiborn 1874/75 (AH 1291); highest salary 150 kuruş
- Ahmet Asım Efendiborn 1874/75 (AH 1291); highest salary 250 kuruş
First annual entry in the same year
Of the 162 officials whose first annual entry is for 1893/94 (AH 1311), Ahmet Şevki Efendi had the 66th highest salary.
- Ahmet Asım Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 250 kuruş
- Hacı Mehmet Zeynel Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 350 kuruş
- Mehmet Hilmi Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 1,200 kuruş
- Ahmet Şakir Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 400 kuruş
- Hasan Fehmi Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 500 kuruş
Full record
Annual entries (13)
| Year | Title | Place | Kuruş a month | Institution | Source | Archive reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1893/94AH 1311 | Muhasebe Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 200 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 89_104; 205 |
| 1894/95AH 1312 | Muhasebe Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 240 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 89_104; 205 |
| 1895/96AH 1313 | Muhasebe Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 240 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 89_104; 205 |
| 1896/97AH 1314 | Muhasebe Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 300 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 89_104; 205 |
| 1897/98AH 1315 | Muhasebe Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 325 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 89_104; 205 |
| 1898/99AH 1316 | Muhasebe Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 325 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 89_104; 205 |
| 1899/1900AH 1317 | Muhasebe Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 89_104; 205 |
| 1900/01AH 1318 | Muhasebe Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 89_104; 205 |
| 1901/02AH 1319 | Muhasebe Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 89_104; 205 |
| 1902/03AH 1320 | Muhasebe Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 89_104; 205 |
| 1903/04AH 1321 | Evrak Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 550 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 89_104; 205 |
| 1904/05AH 1322 | Evrak Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 550 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 89_104; 205 |
| 1905/06AH 1323 | Other | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 89_104; 205 |
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 (25)
| Field | Recorded value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | ||
| Name | Ahmet Şevki Efendi | Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Linked personnel workbook |
| Birth year (AH) | 1291 | 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 | pt nezaret muduru | 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) | 1311 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Linked personnel workbook |
| First work: Gregorian year as stored | 1893 | Recovered annual personnel extract |
| First work: place | istanbul | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First work: district (kaza) | istanbul | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First work: sancak | istanbul | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First work: province (vilayet) | istanbul | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First job as worded | Telgraf | Linked personnel workbook; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Age at first work (workbook field) | 20 | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First salary field (kuruş a month) | 200 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First-job salary of the original workbook (kuruş a month) | 200 | Linked personnel workbook; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Honours | ||
| Medal (recorded code) | 1 | 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.
- 12 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
- Ahmet Şevki Efendi
- Accounts office (Muhasebe Kalemi)
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- Rüşdiye school (Rüşdiye Mektebi)
- Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf)
- Muslim (Müslüman)
- Documents office (Evrak Kalemi)
- 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)