Official
Mehmet Reşit Bey
Muslim (Müslüman). Born in Istanbul (Dersaadet) in 1865/66 (AH 1282). On record 1887 to 1906, 19 annual entries.
Archive reference 0062_0087; 171
Life#
Born in Istanbul in 1865/66 (AH 1282) into the Muslim (Müslüman) community, Mehmet Reşit Bey was the child of an army major (binbaşı). Schooling took seven years, at a middle school (Rüşdiye Mektebi).
Work began in Istanbul in 1882/83, at about 17, with five unpaid years as a mülazım (apprentice) before a first salary of 200 kuruş. The first annual entry, for 1887/88, places Mehmet Reşit in Istanbul, the birthplace, as a communications official (Muhabere Memuru), where the entries run to 1899/1900. The last posts were in Babi askeriye from 1900 to 1906.
Pay rose from 200 kuruş a month in 1887/88 to a peak of 375 in 1905/06, as Muhabere Memuru in Babi askeriye, when 35 per cent of paid officials earned less. Over 19 years the salaries add up to 66,600 kuruş, 59 per cent of what an official on the median salary earned. The final annual entry is for 1905/06.
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 1865/66 (AH 1282); First work 1882/83 (AH 1300); 1887 to 1900 (AH 1305 to 1317)
200 to 325 kuruş a month; entries in 13 years
1900 to 1906 (AH 1318 to 1323)
325 to 375 kuruş a month; entries in 6 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.
The numbers of the chart
| Year | Salary | Median, all officials | Median, same title | Paid less |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1887/88 | 200 | 500 | 400 | 4% |
| 1888/89 | 250 | 500 | 400 | 8% |
| 1889/90 | 250 | 500 | 400 | 10% |
| 1890/91 | 250 | 500 | 400 | 10% |
| 1891/92 | 250 | 500 | 400 | 12% |
| 1892/93 | 250 | 500 | 400 | 13% |
| 1893/94 | 250 | 500 | 400 | 13% |
| 1894/95 | 250 | 500 | 400 | 13% |
| 1895/96 | 300 | 500 | 400 | 17% |
| 1896/97 | 325 | 500 | 400 | 26% |
| 1897/98 | 325 | 500 | 400 | 26% |
| 1898/99 | 325 | 500 | 400 | 26% |
| 1899/1900 | 325 | 500 | 400 | 25% |
| 1900/01 | 325 | 500 | 400 | 25% |
| 1901/02 | 325 | 500 | 400 | 26% |
| 1902/03 | 325 | 500 | 380 | 29% |
| 1903/04 | 325 | 475 | 350 | 31% |
| 1904/05 | 325 | 450 | 350 | 32% |
| 1905/06 | 375 | 475 | 330 | 35% |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1882/83AH 1300 | First work | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 200first-salary field |
| 1887 to 1900AH 1305 to 1317 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 200 to 325 |
| 1900 to 1906AH 1318 to 1323 | Muhabere Memuru | Babi askeriye | 325 to 375 |
Record#
Personal
- Born
- 1865/66 (AH 1282)
- Birthplace
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- Community
- Muslim (Müslüman)
- Nationality as recorded
- Turkish
- Father's occupation
- Binbasi
Education
- Rüşdiye
- Rüşdiye Mektebi (7 years)rüşdiye school (middle school)
- Unpaid years (mülazemet)
- 5 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
- 1882/83 (AH 1300)
- Place
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- First salary field (kuruş a month)
- 200
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 977 officials with entries in Istanbul in the same years, Mehmet Reşit Bey had the 769th highest salary.
- Salahattin Bey13 shared years; highest salary 7,800 kuruş
- Suleyman Resat Bey13 shared years; highest salary 7,000 kuruş
- Mehmet Hayri Bey13 shared years; highest salary 5,500 kuruş
- Fahri Efendi13 shared years; highest salary 5,000 kuruş
- Melkok Efendi13 shared years; highest salary 5,000 kuruş
Same job title, same years
Of the 2,299 officials with the title Muhabere Memuru in the same years, Mehmet Reşit Bey had the 1,796th highest salary.
- Mehmet Hulusi Bey19 shared years; highest salary 2,600 kuruş
- Nikola Yunani Efendi19 shared years; highest salary 1,350 kuruş
- Mustafa Efendi19 shared years; highest salary 1,200 kuruş
- Mehmet Tahsin Efendi19 shared years; highest salary 1,100 kuruş
- Hafız Nuri Efendi19 shared years; highest salary 970 kuruş
Same school
Of the 3,206 officials with Rüşdiye Mektebi among their schools, 3,200 have a recorded salary; Mehmet Reşit Bey had the 2,119th highest salary of them.
- Abdulkadir Efendiborn 1865/66 (AH 1282); highest salary 750 kuruş
- Abdullah Sıtkı Efendiborn 1865/66 (AH 1282); highest salary 500 kuruş
- Abdurrahman Faik Efendiborn 1865/66 (AH 1282); highest salary 300 kuruş
- Abdurrahman Feyzi Efendiborn 1865/66 (AH 1282); highest salary 720 kuruş
- Ahmet Şefik Efendiborn 1865/66 (AH 1282); highest salary 600 kuruş
Same birthplace
Of the 1,999 officials born in Istanbul, 1,997 have a recorded salary; Mehmet Reşit Bey had the 1,371st highest salary of them.
- Abdulkadir Efendiborn 1865/66 (AH 1282); highest salary 750 kuruş
- Ahmet Şevki Efendiborn 1865/66 (AH 1282); highest salary 400 kuruş
- Ali Naci Efendiborn 1865/66 (AH 1282); highest salary 200 kuruş
- Ali Rıza Efendiborn 1865/66 (AH 1282); highest salary 1,700 kuruş
- Erdetsi Ohanyan Efendiborn 1865/66 (AH 1282); highest salary 600 kuruş
First annual entry in the same year
Of the 89 officials whose first annual entry is for 1887/88 (AH 1305), Mehmet Reşit Bey had the 77th highest salary.
- İbrahim Hakki Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 1,200 kuruş
- Ayn Fahreddin Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 720 kuruş
- Hüseyin Safi Beyfirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 330 kuruş
- Rakım Beyfirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 170 kuruş
- Mahmut Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 300 kuruş
Full record
Annual entries (19)
| Year | Title | Place | Kuruş a month | Institution | Source | Archive reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1887/88AH 1305 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 200 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0087; 171 |
| 1888/89AH 1306 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 250 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0087; 171 |
| 1889/90AH 1307 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 250 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0087; 171 |
| 1890/91AH 1308 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 250 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0087; 171 |
| 1891/92AH 1309 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 250 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0087; 171 |
| 1892/93AH 1310 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 250 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0087; 171 |
| 1893/94AH 1311 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 250 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0087; 171 |
| 1894/95AH 1312 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 250 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0087; 171 |
| 1895/96AH 1313 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 300 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0087; 171 |
| 1896/97AH 1314 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 325 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0087; 171 |
| 1897/98AH 1315 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 325 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0087; 171 |
| 1898/99AH 1316 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 325 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0087; 171 |
| 1899/1900AH 1317 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 325 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0087; 171 |
| 1900/01AH 1318 | Muhabere Memuru | Babi askeriye | 325 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0087; 171 |
| 1901/02AH 1319 | Muhabere Memuru | Babi askeriye | 325 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0087; 171 |
| 1902/03AH 1320 | Muhabere Memuru | Babi askeriye | 325 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0087; 171 |
| 1903/04AH 1321 | Muhabere Memuru | Babi askeriye | 325 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0087; 171 |
| 1904/05AH 1322 | Muhabere Memuru | Babi askeriye | 325 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0087; 171 |
| 1905/06AH 1323 | Muhabere Memuru | Babi askeriye | 375 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0087; 171 |
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 | Mehmet Reşit Bey | Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Birth year (AH) | 1282 | 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 | binbasi | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Religion | Musluman | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Nationality or community | Turkish | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Schooling | ||
| School | Rusdiye Mektebi | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Years of schooling | 7 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Years of apprenticeship (mülazemet) | 5 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First work | ||
| First work: year (AH) | 1300 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First work: Gregorian year as stored | 1883 | 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) | 200 | 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.
- 19 annual entries of 19 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 Reşit Bey
- Communications official (Muhabere Memuru)
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- Rüşdiye school (Rüşdiye Mektebi)
- Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf)
- Muslim (Müslüman)
- Babi askeriye
- 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)