Official
Ohannes Abdullah Efendi
Armenian Christian (Ermeni). Born in Istanbul (Dersaadet) in 1845 (AH 1261). On record 1865 to 1895, 31 annual entries.
Archive reference 0007_0156; 309
Life#
Born in Istanbul in 1845 (AH 1261) into the Armenian Christian (Ermeni) community, Ohannes Abdullah Efendi was the child of a tradesman (esnaf). Schooling took nine years, at the Venedik Mektebi. Ohannes Abdullah knew four languages, Armenian, French, Italian and Turkish, all in writing, a number reached by fewer than 5 per cent of the 5,211 officials. Few officials studied at Venedik Mektebi; only 4 of the 5,146 officials with a school did.
Ohannes Abdullah began work in the telegraph service (Telgraf) in Istanbul in 1864/65, at about 19, paid from the start, on 384 kuruş a month. The annual lists begin in 1865/66, with Ohannes Abdullah in the foreign accounts office (Muhasebat-ı Ecnebiye Kalemi) in Istanbul, the birthplace, where the entries run to 1893/94, with a rise to Muhasebat-i Ecnebiye Kalemi Mumeyyiz in 1883/84. The last post was in Shkodër (İşkodra) in 1894/95, with a rise to Vali Muavini.
Pay rose from 384 kuruş a month in 1865/66 to a peak of 5,000 in 1894/95, as Vali Muavini in Shkodër, when 99 per cent of paid officials earned less. Over 31 years the salaries add up to 519,048 kuruş, 2.6 times what an official on the median salary earned. The final annual entry is for 1894/95. Ohannes Abdullah received the Mecidi order.
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 1845 (AH 1261); First work 1864/65 (AH 1281); 1865 to 1894 (AH 1282 to 1311)
First work as telgraf
Muhasebat-ı Ecnebiye Kalemi 1865 to 1883 (AH 1282 to 1300); Muhasebat-i Ecnebiye Kalemi Mumeyyiz 1883 to 1887 (AH 1301 to 1304); Muhasebati Ecnebiye Kalemi Muduru 1887 to 1894 (AH 1305 to 1311)
384 to 1,900 kuruş a month; entries in 30 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1865/66 | 384 | 650 | 600 | 19% | |
| 1866/67 | 600 | 600 | 500 | 49% | |
| 1867/68 | 720 | 600 | 576 | 58% | |
| 1868/69 | 720 | 600 | 435 | 500 | 58% |
| 1869/70 | 720 | 600 | 200 | 520 | 59% |
| 1870/71 | 900 | 600 | 250 | 500 | 70% |
| 1871/72 | 900 | 550 | 325 | 500 | 75% |
| 1872/73 | 900 | 550 | 385 | 550 | 75% |
| 1873/74 | 900 | 500 | 470 | 500 | 76% |
| 1874/75 | 1,090 | 535 | 520 | 522.5 | 84% |
| 1875/76 | 1,270 | 530 | 532.5 | 550 | 87% |
| 1876/77 | 1,500 | 582.5 | 600 | 587.5 | 89% |
| 1877/78 | 1,500 | 560 | 600 | 600 | 88% |
| 1878 | 1,500 | 600 | 650 | 600 | 87% |
| 1878/79 | 1,500 | 600 | 650 | 600 | 87% |
| 1879/80 | 1,200 | 500 | 600 | 500 | 87% |
| 1880/81 | 1,200 | 500 | 600 | 500 | 87% |
| 1881/82 | 1,200 | 500 | 600 | 500 | 86% |
| 1882/83 | 1,200 | 500 | 650 | 500 | 86% |
| 1883/84 | 1,600 | 500 | 500 | 91% | |
| 1884/85 | 1,600 | 500 | 500 | 91% | |
| 1885/86 | 1,600 | 500 | 500 | 92% | |
| 1886/87 | 1,600 | 500 | 500 | 92% | |
| 1887/88 | 1,600 | 500 | 500 | 93% | |
| 1888/89 | 1,600 | 500 | 500 | 93% | |
| 1889/90 | 1,600 | 500 | 500 | 94% | |
| 1890/91 | 1,750 | 500 | 500 | 94% | |
| 1891/92 | 1,750 | 500 | 500 | 95% | |
| 1892/93 | 1,750 | 500 | 500 | 95% | |
| 1893/94 | 1,900 | 500 | 480 | 96% | |
| 1894/95 | 5,000 | 500 | 600 | 99% |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1864/65AH 1281 | telgraffirst work | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 384first-salary field |
| 1865 to 1883AH 1282 to 1300 | Muhasebat-ı Ecnebiye Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 384 to 1,200 |
| 1883 to 1887AH 1301 to 1304 | Muhasebat-i Ecnebiye Kalemi Mumeyyiz | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 1,600 |
| 1887 to 1894AH 1305 to 1311 | Muhasebati Ecnebiye Kalemi Muduru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 1,600 to 1,900 |
| 1894/95AH 1312 | Vali Muavini | Shkodër (İşkodra) | 5,000 |
Record#
Personal
- Born
- 1845 (AH 1261)
- Birthplace
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- Community
- Armenian Christian (Ermeni)
- Nationality as recorded
- Ermeni
- Father's occupation
- Esnaf
Education
- Foreign school
- Venedik Mektebi (9 years)place of the school as worded: istanbul
- Unpaid years (mülazemet)
- 0 years
- Preparation route (classification of the paper)
- Middle
- Qualification (diploma, certificate, training or nişan)
- No
The years count all schooling up to that school, as the record gives them.
Languages
- Armenian
- Kitabetwriting
- French
- Kitabetwriting
- Italian
- Kitabetwriting
- Turkish
- Kitabetwriting
The glosses are cautious historical readings of the recorded words, not modern levels of proficiency.
First work
- Year
- 1864/65 (AH 1281)
- Place
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- First job as worded
- telgraf
- Age at first work (workbook field)
- 20
- First salary field (kuruş a month)
- 384
- First-job salary of the original workbook (kuruş a month)
- 384
Honours and ranks
- Mecidi order (recorded code)
- 3
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 14 officials who held Muhasebat-ı Ecnebiye Kalemi in Istanbul in the same years, Ohannes Abdullah Efendi had the highest salary.
- Melkok Efendi19 shared years; highest salary 5,000 kuruş
- Anastasyadi Hristo Efendi17 shared years; highest salary 710 kuruş
- Teohari Efendi16 shared years; highest salary 800 kuruş
- Rupenyan Efendi15 shared years; highest salary 650 kuruş
- David Efendi14 shared years; highest salary 975 kuruş
Same place, same years
Of the 989 officials with entries in Istanbul in the same years, Ohannes Abdullah Efendi had the 27th highest salary.
- Emil Efendi30 shared years; highest salary 9,000 kuruş
- Mehmet Hayri Bey30 shared years; highest salary 5,500 kuruş
- Melkok Efendi30 shared years; highest salary 5,000 kuruş
- Mehmet Nurettin Efendi30 shared years; highest salary 4,500 kuruş
- Mehmet Salim Bey30 shared years; highest salary 3,000 kuruş
Same job title, same years
Of the 16 officials with the title Muhasebat-ı Ecnebiye Kalemi in the same years, Ohannes Abdullah Efendi had the highest salary.
- Melkok Efendi19 shared years; highest salary 5,000 kuruş
- Anastasyadi Hristo Efendi17 shared years; highest salary 710 kuruş
- Apostolaki Cizli Efendi16 shared years; highest salary 1,440 kuruş
- Teohari Efendi16 shared years; highest salary 800 kuruş
- Andon Tomasyan Efendi15 shared years; highest salary 800 kuruş
Same school
Of the 4 officials with Venedik Mektebi among their schools, Ohannes Abdullah Efendi had the highest salary.
- Mikail Makakyan Efendiborn 1842/43 (AH 1258); highest salary 800 kuruş
- Şahin Kirkor Efendiborn 1840/41 (AH 1256); highest salary 1,900 kuruş
- Siryus Mişel Efendiborn 1834/35 (AH 1250); highest salary 2,000 kuruş
Same birthplace
Of the 1,999 officials born in Istanbul, 1,997 have a recorded salary; Ohannes Abdullah Efendi had the 24th highest salary of them.
- Ahmet Efendiborn 1845 (AH 1261); highest salary 900 kuruş
- Ferhat Sabri Efendiborn 1845 (AH 1261); highest salary 250 kuruş
- Hasan Efendiborn 1845 (AH 1261); highest salary 600 kuruş
- Hasan Efendiborn 1845 (AH 1261); highest salary 500 kuruş
- İsmail Efendiborn 1845 (AH 1261); highest salary 800 kuruş
First annual entry in the same year
Of the 47 officials whose first annual entry is for 1865/66 (AH 1282), Ohannes Abdullah Efendi had the highest salary.
- Süleyman Ramiz Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 950 kuruş
- Dikran Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 1,400 kuruş
- Yakob Emanuelidi Efendi Bin Emanuelfirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 1,900 kuruş
- İsmail Hakkı Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 825 kuruş
- Süleyman Saim Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 550 kuruş
All 47 officials whose first annual entry is for 1865/66 (AH 1282)
Full record
Annual entries (31)
| Year | Title | Place | Kuruş a month | Institution | Source | Archive reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1865/66AH 1282 | Muhasebat-ı Ecnebiye Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 384 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0007_0156; 309 |
| 1866/67AH 1283 | Muhasebat-ı Ecnebiye Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0007_0156; 309 |
| 1867/68AH 1284 | Muhasebat-ı Ecnebiye Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 720 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0007_0156; 309 |
| 1868/69AH 1285 | Muhasebat-ı Ecnebiye Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 720 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0007_0156; 309 |
| 1869/70AH 1286 | Muhasebat-ı Ecnebiye Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 720 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0007_0156; 309 |
| 1870/71AH 1287 | Muhasebat-ı Ecnebiye Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 900 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0007_0156; 309 |
| 1871/72AH 1288 | Muhasebat-ı Ecnebiye Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 900 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0007_0156; 309 |
| 1872/73AH 1289 | Muhasebat-ı Ecnebiye Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 900 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0007_0156; 309 |
| 1873/74AH 1290 | Muhasebat-ı Ecnebiye Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 900 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0007_0156; 309 |
| 1874/75AH 1291 | Muhasebat-ı Ecnebiye Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 1,090 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0007_0156; 309 |
| 1875/76AH 1292 | Muhasebat-ı Ecnebiye Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 1,270 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0007_0156; 309 |
| 1876/77AH 1293 | Muhasebat-ı Ecnebiye Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 1,500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0007_0156; 309 |
| 1877/78AH 1294 | Muhasebat-ı Ecnebiye Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 1,500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0007_0156; 309 |
| 1878AH 1295 | Muhasebat-ı Ecnebiye Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 1,500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0007_0156; 309 |
| 1878/79AH 1296 | Muhasebat-ı Ecnebiye Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 1,500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0007_0156; 309 |
| 1879/80AH 1297 | Muhasebat-ı Ecnebiye Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 1,200 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0007_0156; 309 |
| 1880/81AH 1298 | Muhasebat-ı Ecnebiye Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 1,200 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0007_0156; 309 |
| 1881/82AH 1299 | Muhasebat-ı Ecnebiye Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 1,200 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0007_0156; 309 |
| 1882/83AH 1300 | Muhasebat-ı Ecnebiye Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 1,200 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0007_0156; 309 |
| 1883/84AH 1301 | Muhasebat-i Ecnebiye Kalemi Mumeyyiz | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 1,600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0007_0156; 309 |
| 1884/85AH 1302 | Muhasebat-i Ecnebiye Kalemi Mumeyyiz | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 1,600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0007_0156; 309 |
| 1885/86AH 1303 | Muhasebat-i Ecnebiye Kalemi Mumeyyiz | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 1,600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0007_0156; 309 |
| 1886/87AH 1304 | Muhasebat-i Ecnebiye Kalemi Mumeyyiz | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 1,600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0007_0156; 309 |
| 1887/88AH 1305 | Muhasebati Ecnebiye Kalemi Muduru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 1,600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0007_0156; 309 |
| 1888/89AH 1306 | Muhasebati Ecnebiye Kalemi Muduru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 1,600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0007_0156; 309 |
| 1889/90AH 1307 | Muhasebati Ecnebiye Kalemi Muduru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 1,600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0007_0156; 309 |
| 1890/91AH 1308 | Muhasebati Ecnebiye Kalemi Muduru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 1,750 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0007_0156; 309 |
| 1891/92AH 1309 | Muhasebati Ecnebiye Kalemi Muduru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 1,750 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0007_0156; 309 |
| 1892/93AH 1310 | Muhasebati Ecnebiye Kalemi Muduru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 1,750 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0007_0156; 309 |
| 1893/94AH 1311 | Muhasebati Ecnebiye Kalemi Muduru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 1,900 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0007_0156; 309 |
| 1894/95AH 1312 | Vali Muavini | Shkodër (İşkodra) | 5,000 | Other | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 0007_0156; 309 |
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 (26)
| Field | Recorded value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | ||
| Name | Ohannes Abdullah Efendi | Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Linked personnel workbook |
| Birth year (AH) | 1261 | 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 | Hristiyan | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Nationality or community | Ermeni | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Schooling | ||
| School | Venedik mektebi | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Place of the school | istanbul | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Years of schooling | 9 | 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) | 1281 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Linked personnel workbook |
| First work: Gregorian year as stored | 1864 | 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) | 384 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First-job salary of the original workbook (kuruş a month) | 384 | Linked personnel workbook; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Honours | ||
| Mecidi order (recorded code) | 3 | 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.
- 25 annual entries of 31 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
- Ohannes Abdullah Efendi
- Foreign accounts office (Muhasebat-ı Ecnebiye Kalemi)
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- Venedik Mektebi
- Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf)
- Armenian Christian (Ermeni)
- Muhasebati Ecnebiye Kalemi Muduru
- 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)