Official
Mehmet Nuri Efendi
Muslim (Müslüman). Born in Istanbul (Dersaadet) in 1849/50 (AH 1266). On record 1870 to 1900, 18 annual entries. Death recorded 1900/01.
Archive reference 0002_0328; 654
Life#
Mehmet Nuri Efendi was born in Istanbul in 1849/50 (AH 1266), into the Muslim (Müslüman) community. Schooling took seven years, at a middle school (Rüşdiye Mektebi).
Work began in Istanbul in 1869/70, at about 19, with four unpaid years as a mülazım (apprentice) before a first salary of 320 kuruş. The annual lists begin in 1870/71, with Mehmet Nuri in the Ambar Kalemi in Istanbul, the birthplace. For 1871 to 1883 the lists have no entry. Mehmet Nuri then moved to six places in 12 years, from Elazığ to Jerusalem (Kudüs), with a rise to a post in the Land Registry office (Defter-i Hakani Kalemi) in 1883/84. The last posts were in Karesi from 1895 to 1900. Eight provinces on two continents in all, a number reached by fewer than 3 per cent of the 5,200 officials with a place of service.
Pay rose from 320 kuruş a month in 1870/71 to a peak of 1,000 in 1893/94, in the Defter-i Hakani Kalemi in Kastamonu, when 87 per cent of paid officials earned less. Over 18 years the salaries add up to 164,352 kuruş, 1.5 times what an official on the median salary earned. After the last annual entry, for 1899/1900, the list of 1900/01 (AH 1318) gives the status word Vefat (death).
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.
Not on the map, as no position is recorded: stop 4 (Lazistan).
Born 1849/50 (AH 1266); First work 1869/70 (AH 1286); 1870/71 (AH 1287)
First work as Babi Seraskeri
320 kuruş a month; entries in 1 year
1883/84 (AH 1301)
No annual entry for 1871 to 1883 (AH 1288 to 1300) before it.
760 kuruş a month; entries in 1 year
1884 to 1886 (AH 1302 to 1303)
760 kuruş a month; entries in 2 years
Lazistan as worded, no place record not on the map
1886 to 1890 (AH 1304 to 1307)
760 kuruş a month; entries in 4 years
1895 to 1900 (AH 1313 to 1317)
684 to 760 kuruş a month; entries in 5 years
Death recorded in the annual list of 1900/01 (AH 1318): the word Vefat, not a date of death.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1870/71 | 320 | 600 | 500 | 17% | |
| 1883/84 | 760 | 500 | 760 | 600 | 73% |
| 1884/85 | 760 | 500 | 760 | 760 | 73% |
| 1885/86 | 760 | 500 | 760 | 760 | 75% |
| 1886/87 | 760 | 500 | 760 | 75% | |
| 1887/88 | 760 | 500 | 760 | 74% | |
| 1888/89 | 760 | 500 | 760 | 75% | |
| 1889/90 | 760 | 500 | 760 | 76% | |
| 1890/91 | 760 | 500 | 760 | 500 | 77% |
| 1891/92 | 900 | 500 | 760 | 575 | 85% |
| 1892/93 | 900 | 500 | 760 | 500 | 85% |
| 1893/94 | 1,000 | 500 | 760 | 475 | 87% |
| 1894/95 | 1,000 | 500 | 760 | 500 | 87% |
| 1895/96 | 760 | 500 | 760 | 495 | 79% |
| 1896/97 | 684 | 500 | 684 | 475 | 79% |
| 1897/98 | 684 | 500 | 684 | 500 | 79% |
| 1898/99 | 684 | 500 | 684 | 485 | 79% |
| 1899/1900 | 684 | 500 | 684 | 475 | 77% |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1869/70AH 1286 | Babi Seraskerifirst work | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 320first-salary field |
| 1870/71AH 1287 | Ambar Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 320 |
| No annual entry: 1871 to 1883 (AH 1288 to 1300) | |||
| 1883/84AH 1301 | Defter-i Hakani Kalemi | Elazığ | 760 |
| 1884 to 1886AH 1302 to 1303 | Defter-i Hakani Kalemi | Rhodes (Rodos) | 760 |
| 1886 to 1890AH 1304 to 1307 | Defter-i Hakani Kalemi | 760 | |
| 1890/91AH 1308 | Defter-i Hakani Kalemi | Beirut (Beyrut) | 760 |
| 1891 to 1893AH 1309 to 1310 | Defter-i Hakani Kalemi | Manisa | 900 |
| 1893/94AH 1311 | Defter-i Hakani Kalemi | Kastamonu | 1,000 |
| 1894/95AH 1312 | Defter-i Hakani Kalemi | Jerusalem (Kudüs) | 1,000 |
| 1895 to 1900AH 1313 to 1317 | Defter-i Hakani Kalemi | Karesi | 760 to 684 |
| 1900/01AH 1318 | Death recorded | ||
Record#
Personal
- Born
- 1849/50 (AH 1266)
- Birthplace
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- Community
- Muslim (Müslüman)
- Nationality as recorded
- Turkish
- Death recorded
- 1900/01 (AH 1318)the year of the annual list with the word Vefat, not a date of death
Education
- Rüşdiye
- Rüşdiye Mektebi (7 years)rüşdiye school (middle school); place of the school as worded: Valide
- Unpaid years (mülazemet)
- 4 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
- 1869/70 (AH 1286)
- Place
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- First job as worded
- Babi Seraskeri
- Age at first work (workbook field)
- 20
- First salary field (kuruş a month)
- 320
- First-job salary of the original workbook (kuruş a month)
- 320
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 2 officials who held Ambar Kalemi in Istanbul in the same years, Mehmet Nuri Efendi had the lowest salary.
- Mehmet Şükrü Efendi1 shared year; highest salary 2,500 kuruş
Same place, same years
Of the 3 officials with entries in Karesi in the same years, Mehmet Nuri Efendi had the highest salary.
- Mustafa Remzi Efendi4 shared years; highest salary 1,000 kuruş
- Osman Efendi Efendi1 shared year; highest salary 250 kuruş
Same job title, same years
Of the 42 officials with the title Defter-i Hakani Kalemi in the same years, Mehmet Nuri Efendi had the 23rd highest salary.
- Ahmet Refik Efendi17 shared years; highest salary 3,600 kuruş
- Muharrem Bey17 shared years; highest salary 2,500 kuruş
- Ali Saib Bey17 shared years; highest salary 2,000 kuruş
- Abdurrahman Nuri Efendi17 shared years; highest salary 1,400 kuruş
- Hafiz Suleyman Efendi17 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; Mehmet Nuri Efendi had the 289th highest salary of them.
- Abdulvahab Efendiborn 1849/50 (AH 1266); highest salary 500 kuruş
- Ahmet Cemal Efendiborn 1849/50 (AH 1266); highest salary 760 kuruş
- Ahmet Halit Efendiborn 1849/50 (AH 1266); highest salary 720 kuruş
- Ahmet Latif Efendiborn 1849/50 (AH 1266); highest salary 800 kuruş
- Ahmet Recai Efendiborn 1849/50 (AH 1266); highest salary 500 kuruş
Same birthplace
Of the 1,999 officials born in Istanbul, 1,997 have a recorded salary; Mehmet Nuri Efendi had the 354th highest salary of them.
- Abdullah Naili Efendiborn 1849/50 (AH 1266); highest salary 600 kuruş
- Ahmet Halit Efendiborn 1849/50 (AH 1266); highest salary 720 kuruş
- Ahmet Latif Efendiborn 1849/50 (AH 1266); highest salary 800 kuruş
- Ali Galip Beyborn 1849/50 (AH 1266); highest salary 20,000 kuruş
- Ali Riza Efendiborn 1849/50 (AH 1266); highest salary 600 kuruş
First annual entry in the same year
Of the 66 officials whose first annual entry is for 1870/71 (AH 1287), Mehmet Nuri Efendi had the 24th highest salary.
- Antuvan Ramiz Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 630 kuruş
- Mehmet Mahcub Beyfirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 1,100 kuruş
- Refet Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 1,480 kuruş
- Mehmet Şükrü Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 2,500 kuruş
- Hafız Kemal Beyfirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 1,000 kuruş
All 66 officials whose first annual entry is for 1870/71 (AH 1287)
Full record
Annual entries (18)
| Year | Title | Place | Kuruş a month | Institution | Source | Archive reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1870/71AH 1287 | Ambar Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 320 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0002_0328; 654 |
| 1883/84AH 1301 | Defter-i Hakani Kalemi | Elazığ | 760 | Land Registry (Defter-i Hakani) | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 0002_0328; 654 |
| 1884/85AH 1302 | Defter-i Hakani Kalemi | Rhodes (Rodos) | 760 | Land Registry (Defter-i Hakani) | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 0002_0328; 654 |
| 1885/86AH 1303 | Defter-i Hakani Kalemi | Rhodes (Rodos) | 760 | Land Registry (Defter-i Hakani) | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 0002_0328; 654 |
| 1886/87AH 1304 | Defter-i Hakani Kalemi | Lazistan | 760 | Land Registry (Defter-i Hakani) | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 0002_0328; 654 |
| 1887/88AH 1305 | Defter-i Hakani Kalemi | Lazistan | 760 | Land Registry (Defter-i Hakani) | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 0002_0328; 654 |
| 1888/89AH 1306 | Defter-i Hakani Kalemi | Lazistan | 760 | Land Registry (Defter-i Hakani) | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 0002_0328; 654 |
| 1889/90AH 1307 | Defter-i Hakani Kalemi | Lazistan | 760 | Land Registry (Defter-i Hakani) | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 0002_0328; 654 |
| 1890/91AH 1308 | Defter-i Hakani Kalemi | Beirut (Beyrut) | 760 | Land Registry (Defter-i Hakani) | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 0002_0328; 654 |
| 1891/92AH 1309 | Defter-i Hakani Kalemi | Manisa | 900 | Land Registry (Defter-i Hakani) | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 0002_0328; 654 |
| 1892/93AH 1310 | Defter-i Hakani Kalemi | Manisa | 900 | Land Registry (Defter-i Hakani) | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 0002_0328; 654 |
| 1893/94AH 1311 | Defter-i Hakani Kalemi | Kastamonu | 1,000 | Land Registry (Defter-i Hakani) | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 0002_0328; 654 |
| 1894/95AH 1312 | Defter-i Hakani Kalemi | Jerusalem (Kudüs) | 1,000 | Land Registry (Defter-i Hakani) | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 0002_0328; 654 |
| 1895/96AH 1313 | Defter-i Hakani Kalemi | Karesi | 760 | Land Registry (Defter-i Hakani) | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 0002_0328; 654 |
| 1896/97AH 1314 | Defter-i Hakani Kalemi | Karesi | 684 | Land Registry (Defter-i Hakani) | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 0002_0328; 654 |
| 1897/98AH 1315 | Defter-i Hakani Kalemi | Karesi | 684 | Land Registry (Defter-i Hakani) | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 0002_0328; 654 |
| 1898/99AH 1316 | Defter-i Hakani Kalemi | Karesi | 684 | Land Registry (Defter-i Hakani) | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 0002_0328; 654 |
| 1899/1900AH 1317 | Defter-i Hakani Kalemi | Karesi | 684 | Land Registry (Defter-i Hakani) | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 0002_0328; 654 |
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 | Mehmet Nuri Efendi | Linked personnel workbook |
| Birth year (AH) | 1266 | 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 |
| 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 |
| Place of the school | Valide | 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) | 4 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First work | ||
| First work: year (AH) | 1286 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Linked personnel workbook |
| First work: Gregorian year as stored | 1869 | 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 | Babi Seraskeri | Linked personnel workbook; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Age at first work (workbook field) | 20 | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First salary field (kuruş a month) | 320 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First-job salary of the original workbook (kuruş a month) | 320 | Linked personnel workbook; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Status | ||
| Death recorded under the year (AH) | 1318 | Earlier annual personnel extract (original copy); Earlier annual personnel extract (parallel copy) |
What the sources named in this table are
- Earlier annual personnel extract (original copy)
- A copy of the earlier annual personnel file, read for the title wording of each year. A death taken from it is the status word Vefat in the title field of one annual list: the year is the year of that list, not a date of death.
- Earlier annual personnel extract (parallel copy)
- A second copy of the earlier annual personnel file, read in the same way. A death taken from it is the status word Vefat in the title field of one annual list: the year is the year of that list, not a date of death. Two copies that agree are one piece of evidence, not two.
- 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.
- 1 annual entry of 18 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 Nuri Efendi
- Land Registry office (Defter-i Hakani Kalemi)
- Karesi
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- Rüşdiye school (Rüşdiye Mektebi)
- Land Registry (Defter-i Hakani)
- 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)