Official
Mehmet Safvet Efendi
Muslim (Müslüman). Born in Istanbul (Dersaadet) in 1845/46 (AH 1262). On record 1876 to 1902, 27 annual entries.
Archive reference 14_184; 365
Life#
Born in Istanbul in 1845/46 (AH 1262), Mehmet Safvet Efendi came from the Muslim (Müslüman) community; the father was an official (memur). Mehmet Safvet had four years of schooling, at a primary school (İbtidai Mektebi).
Work began in the Gumruk Kalemi in Istanbul in 1864/65, at about 18, with four unpaid years as a mülazım (apprentice) before a first salary of 200 kuruş. The annual lists begin in 1876/77, with Mehmet Safvet as a customs official (Rüsumat Memuru) in Istanbul, the birthplace, where the entries run to 1880/81. From 1881 to 1902 the annual entries place Mehmet Safvet in Aksaray.
The salary went from 380 kuruş a month in 1876/77 to 650 in 1899/1900, the peak, as an official (Memur) in Aksaray, when three in four paid officials earned less. Over 27 years the salaries add up to 155,880 kuruş, about what an official on the median salary earned. The last annual entry is for 1901/02.
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 1845/46 (AH 1262); First work 1864/65 (AH 1281); 1876 to 1881 (AH 1293 to 1298)
First work as Gumruk Kalemi
Rüsumat Memuru 1876/77 (AH 1293); Memur 1877 to 1881 (AH 1294 to 1298)
150 to 400 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1876/77 | 380 | 582.5 | 375 | 16% |
| 1877/78 | 150 | 560 | 400 | 2% |
| 1878 | 150 | 600 | 450 | 2% |
| 1878/79 | 300 | 600 | 500 | 9% |
| 1879/80 | 240 | 500 | 380 | 9% |
| 1880/81 | 400 | 500 | 350 | 34% |
| 1881/82 | 400 | 500 | 390 | 31% |
| 1882/83 | 400 | 500 | 400 | 28% |
| 1883/84 | 400 | 500 | 425 | 27% |
| 1884/85 | 400 | 500 | 400 | 27% |
| 1885/86 | 400 | 500 | 500 | 27% |
| 1886/87 | 400 | 500 | 400 | 27% |
| 1887/88 | 600 | 500 | 300 | 58% |
| 1888/89 | 600 | 500 | 375 | 58% |
| 1889/90 | 600 | 500 | 300 | 58% |
| 1890/91 | 600 | 500 | 285 | 59% |
| 1891/92 | 600 | 500 | 200 | 59% |
| 1892/93 | 600 | 500 | 200 | 59% |
| 1893/94 | 600 | 500 | 225 | 60% |
| 1894/95 | 600 | 500 | 268.5 | 60% |
| 1895/96 | 600 | 500 | 281 | 59% |
| 1896/97 | 540 | 500 | 300 | 61% |
| 1897/98 | 540 | 500 | 300 | 61% |
| 1898/99 | 540 | 500 | 362.5 | 61% |
| 1899/1900 | 650 | 500 | 400 | 74% |
| 1900/01 | 650 | 500 | 400 | 73% |
| 1901/02 | 650 | 500 | 425 | 73% |
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 | Gumruk Kalemifirst work | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 200first-salary field |
| 1876/77AH 1293 | Rüsumat Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 380 |
| 1877 to 1881AH 1294 to 1298 | Memur | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 150 to 400 |
| 1881 to 1902AH 1299 to 1319 | Memur | Aksaray | 400 to 650 |
Record#
Personal
- Born
- 1845/46 (AH 1262)
- Birthplace
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- Community
- Muslim (Müslüman)
- Nationality as recorded
- Turkish
- Father's occupation
- Memur
Education
- Primary
- İbtidai Mektebi (4 years)primary school
- Unpaid years (mülazemet)
- 4 years
- Preparation route (classification of the paper)
- Low
- Qualification (diploma, certificate, training or nişan)
- NoShown as in the flag of the paper. The qualification column of the recovered extract gives yes.
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
- 1864/65 (AH 1281)
- Place
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- First job as worded
- Gumruk Kalemi
- Age at first work (workbook field)
- 19
- First salary field (kuruş a month)
- 200
- First-job salary of the original workbook (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 7 officials with entries in Aksaray in the same years, Mehmet Safvet Efendi had the 2nd highest salary.
- Mehmet Emin Efendi5 shared years; highest salary 890 kuruş
- Arif Cemil Efendi5 shared years; highest salary 400 kuruş
- Aziz Efendi3 shared years; highest salary 475 kuruş
- Abdullah Efendi2 shared years; highest salary 500 kuruş
- İbrahim Halil Efendi2 shared years; highest salary 300 kuruş
Same job title, same years
Of the 208 officials with the title Memur in the same years, Mehmet Safvet Efendi had the 85th highest salary.
- Hasan Sıtkı Efendi25 shared years; highest salary 800 kuruş
- Mehmet Ali Bey19 shared years; highest salary 2,200 kuruş
- Ohannes Papasyan Efendi18 shared years; highest salary 2,000 kuruş
- Mahmut Efendi18 shared years; highest salary 550 kuruş
- Hüseyin Hüsnü Efendi16 shared years; highest salary 900 kuruş
Same school
Of the 33 officials with İbtidai Mektebi among their schools, Mehmet Safvet Efendi had the 21st highest salary.
- Ali Galip Efendiborn 1845 (AH 1261); highest salary 600 kuruş
- Abdulhamit Efendiborn 1847/48 (AH 1264); highest salary 1,200 kuruş
- Ali Rıza Efendiborn 1847/48 (AH 1264); highest salary 1,000 kuruş
- Ali Rıza Efendiborn 1847/48 (AH 1264); highest salary 760 kuruş
- Mehmet Fuat Paşaborn 1847/48 (AH 1264); highest salary 2,500 kuruş
Same birthplace
Of the 1,999 officials born in Istanbul, 1,997 have a recorded salary; Mehmet Safvet Efendi had the 756th highest salary of them.
- Ahmet Hamdi Efendiborn 1845/46 (AH 1262); highest salary 400 kuruş
- Ahmet Tevfik Beyborn 1845/46 (AH 1262); highest salary 1,750 kuruş
- Ali Refik Beyborn 1845/46 (AH 1262); highest salary 6,000 kuruş
- Ali Rıza Efendiborn 1845/46 (AH 1262); highest salary 200 kuruş
- Haci Sefik Efendiborn 1845/46 (AH 1262); highest salary 2,375 kuruş
First annual entry in the same year
Of the 120 officials whose first annual entry is for 1876/77 (AH 1293), Mehmet Safvet Efendi had the 51st highest salary.
- Hacı Süleyman Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 800 kuruş
- Mehmet Fahri Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 3,000 kuruş
- Mehmet Cemal Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 500 kuruş
- Mehmet Hayri Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 1,500 kuruş
- Ali Şefik Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 450 kuruş
Full record
Annual entries (27)
| Year | Title | Place | Kuruş a month | Institution | Source | Archive reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1876/77AH 1293 | Rüsumat Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 380 | Customs (Gümrük) | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 14_184; 365 |
| 1877/78AH 1294 | Memur | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 150 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 14_184; 365 |
| 1878AH 1295 | Memur | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 150 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 14_184; 365 |
| 1878/79AH 1296 | Memur | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 300 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 14_184; 365 |
| 1879/80AH 1297 | Memur | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 240 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 14_184; 365 |
| 1880/81AH 1298 | Memur | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 14_184; 365 |
| 1881/82AH 1299 | Memur | Aksaray | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 14_184; 365 |
| 1882/83AH 1300 | Memur | Aksaray | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 14_184; 365 |
| 1883/84AH 1301 | Memur | Aksaray | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 14_184; 365 |
| 1884/85AH 1302 | Memur | Aksaray | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 14_184; 365 |
| 1885/86AH 1303 | Memur | Aksaray | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 14_184; 365 |
| 1886/87AH 1304 | Memur | Aksaray | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 14_184; 365 |
| 1887/88AH 1305 | Memur | Aksaray | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 14_184; 365 |
| 1888/89AH 1306 | Memur | Aksaray | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 14_184; 365 |
| 1889/90AH 1307 | Memur | Aksaray | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 14_184; 365 |
| 1890/91AH 1308 | Memur | Aksaray | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 14_184; 365 |
| 1891/92AH 1309 | Memur | Aksaray | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 14_184; 365 |
| 1892/93AH 1310 | Memur | Aksaray | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 14_184; 365 |
| 1893/94AH 1311 | Memur | Aksaray | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 14_184; 365 |
| 1894/95AH 1312 | Memur | Aksaray | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 14_184; 365 |
| 1895/96AH 1313 | Memur | Aksaray | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 14_184; 365 |
| 1896/97AH 1314 | Memur | Aksaray | 540 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 14_184; 365 |
| 1897/98AH 1315 | Memur | Aksaray | 540 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 14_184; 365 |
| 1898/99AH 1316 | Memur | Aksaray | 540 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 14_184; 365 |
| 1899/1900AH 1317 | Memur | Aksaray | 650 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 14_184; 365 |
| 1900/01AH 1318 | Memur | Aksaray | 650 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 14_184; 365 |
| 1901/02AH 1319 | Memur | Aksaray | 650 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 14_184; 365 |
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 Safvet Efendi | Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Linked personnel workbook |
| Birth year (AH) | 1262 | 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 | memur | 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 | ibtidai Mektebi | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Years of schooling | 4 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Years of apprenticeship (mülazemet) | 4 | 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 | Gumruk Kalemi | Linked personnel workbook; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Age at first work (workbook field) | 19 | 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 |
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.
- 26 annual entries of 27 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 Safvet Efendi
- Official (Memur)
- Aksaray
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- Primary school (İbtidai 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)