Official
Mehmet Talat Efendi
Muslim (Müslüman). Born in Edirne in 1873/74 (AH 1290). On record 1891 to 1914, 19 annual entries.
Archive reference 70_45; 87
Life#
Born in Edirne in 1873/74 (AH 1290), Mehmet Talat Efendi came from the Muslim (Müslüman) community. At about 17, in 1890/91, Mehmet Talat began work in the telegraph service (Telgraf) in Edirne, with one unpaid year as a mülazım (apprentice) before a first salary of 300 kuruş. The first annual entry, for 1891/92, places Mehmet Talat in Edirne, the birthplace, as a registry clerk (Mukayyit). Mehmet Talat then moved to Bitola in 1898/99, then Thessaloniki (Selanik) from 1899 to 1907. The last posts were in Istanbul from 1909 to 1914, first as Dahiliye Nezaret-i Celilesi, from 1911/12 as PT Naziri and from 1912/13 as Dahiliye Nezaret-i Celilesi.
The salary went from 300 kuruş a month in 1891/92 to 15,000 in 1909/10, the peak, as Dahiliye Nezaret-i Celilesi in Istanbul, when 99 per cent of paid officials earned less. From 1911 to 1914 no official in the lists was paid more; only 16 of the 5,203 officials with a salary were ever the best paid of a year. In all, 19 years of salary come to 1,001,700 kuruş, 4.4 times the median official's. Pay rose to 50 times the first salary; only 31 of the 2,859 officials paid for ten years or more rose as far. The last annual entry is for 1913/14.
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.
1898/99 (AH 1316)
No annual entry for 1896 to 1898 (AH 1314 to 1315) before it.
675 kuruş a month; entries in 1 year
1899 to 1907 (AH 1317 to 1324)
Başmüdür Kitabeti 1899 to 1903 (AH 1317 to 1320); Tahrirat Baskitabeti 1903 to 1907 (AH 1321 to 1324)
600 to 1,000 kuruş a month; entries in 8 years
1909 to 1914 (AH 1327 to 1332)
No annual entry for 1907 to 1909 (AH 1325 to 1326) before it.
Dahiliye Nezaret-i Celilesi 1909 to 1914 (AH 1327 to 1332); PT Naziri 1911/12 (AH 1330)
15,000 kuruş a month; entries in 5 years
No annual entry for 1911 (AH 1329).
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1891/92 | 300 | 500 | 300 | 475 | 16% |
| 1892/93 | 300 | 500 | 300 | 475 | 17% |
| 1893/94 | 300 | 500 | 300 | 500 | 17% |
| 1894/95 | 400 | 500 | 300 | 500 | 30% |
| 1895/96 | 400 | 500 | 300 | 500 | 30% |
| 1898/99 | 675 | 500 | 575 | 500 | 76% |
| 1899/1900 | 600 | 500 | 600 | 500 | 70% |
| 1900/01 | 600 | 500 | 585 | 500 | 67% |
| 1901/02 | 600 | 500 | 555 | 500 | 67% |
| 1902/03 | 600 | 500 | 585 | 450 | 67% |
| 1903/04 | 900 | 475 | 400 | 84% | |
| 1904/05 | 900 | 450 | 400 | 84% | |
| 1905/06 | 900 | 475 | 400 | 83% | |
| 1906/07 | 1,000 | 450 | 400 | 85% | |
| 1909/10 | 15,000 | 462.5 | 500 | 99% | |
| 1910/11 | 15,000 | 500 | 600 | 99% | |
| 1911/12 | 15,000 | 900 | 800 | 100% | |
| 1912/13 | 15,000 | 1,300 | 3,500 | 100% | |
| 1913/14 | 15,000 | 9,000 | 100% |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1890/91AH 1308 | Telgraffirst work | Edirne | 300first-salary field |
| 1891 to 1896AH 1309 to 1313 | Mukayyit | Edirne | 300 to 400 |
| No annual entry: 1896 to 1898 (AH 1314 to 1315) | |||
| 1898/99AH 1316 | Seyyar Memur | Bitola (Manastır) | 675 |
| 1899 to 1903AH 1317 to 1320 | Başmüdür Kitabeti | Thessaloniki (Selanik) | 600 |
| 1903 to 1907AH 1321 to 1324 | Tahrirat Baskitabeti | Thessaloniki (Selanik) | 900 to 1,000 |
| No annual entry: 1907 to 1909 (AH 1325 to 1326) | |||
| 1909/10AH 1327 | Dahiliye Nezaret-i Celilesi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 15,000 |
| 1910/11AH 1328 | Dahiliye Nezaret-i Celilesi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 15,000 |
| No annual entry: 1911 (AH 1329) | |||
| 1911/12AH 1330 | PT Naziri | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 15,000 |
| 1912/13AH 1331 | Dahiliye Nezaret-i Celilesi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 15,000 |
| 1913/14AH 1332 | Dahiliye Nezaret-i Celilesi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 15,000 |
Record#
Personal
- Born
- 1873/74 (AH 1290)
- Birthplace
- Edirne
- Community
- Muslim (Müslüman)
- Nationality as recorded
- Turkish
Education
- Rüşdiye
- Rüşdiye Mektebi (7 years)rüşdiye school (middle school); place of the school as worded: Edirne
- Unpaid years (mülazemet)
- 1 year
- Preparation route (classification of the paper)
- Middle
- Qualification (diploma, certificate, training or nişan)
- Yes
The years count all schooling up to that school, as the record gives them.
Languages
- Greek (Rum)
- Tekellumspeaking. Rum is the word of the records for Greek as spoken by the Orthodox Christians of the empire. It is kept apart from the column Greek, which the records also have
- Turkish
- Kitabetwriting
The glosses are cautious historical readings of the recorded words, not modern levels of proficiency.
First work
- Year
- 1890/91 (AH 1308)
- Place
- Edirne
- First job as worded
- Telgraf
- Age at first work (workbook field)
- 18
- First salary field (kuruş a month)
- 300
- First-job salary of the original workbook (kuruş a month)
- 300
Honours and ranks
- Mecidi order (recorded code)
- 1
- Osmani order (recorded code)
- 1
- Medal (recorded code)
- 2; 1
- Medal or decoration as worded
- ve Romanya Devleti tarafindan ihdâ olunan birinci rutbeden Sen Tual Do Roman Nisani'nin; Altin Donanma Madalyasi
Legal records
- Judicial record (recorded code)
- 2
- Legal record note as worded
- Politika / Mumaileyh politika töhmetiyle üç sene kalabendlik cezasına Edrine Vilayet-i Celilesi İstinaf Mahkemesi'nce mahkum olduğundan bin üç yüz on dört senesi Saferinin on dokuzunda 12 Temmuz sene 1314 azledilip Vilayet-i müşarünileyha hapishanesinde mahkûmen mevkuf bulunduğu hâlde hakkında afv-ı âli-yi hazret-i hilafet-penahi şayan buyurularak münasip bir işle kayrılmak üzere diğer vilayete nakli şeref-sudur buyurulan irade-i seniyye-i hazret-i padişahi iktiza-yı âlisinde bulunduğu Dahiliye Nezaret-i Celilesi'nin 17 numara ve 10 Mart sene 1314 tarihli tezkiresinde emir ve iş‘ar buyurulmuş olmakla bin üç yüz on altı senesi Saferinin yirmi üçünde 1 Temmuz sene 1314 beş yüz kuruş maaşla Selanik Vilayeti ile Manastır Vilayeti İdaresi Posta Seyyar Memuriyeti'ne tayin; Politika / Mumaileyhin bazı ahvaline mebni bin üç yüz beş senesi Şevvalinin on beşinde 8 Teşrinisani sene 1313 azliyle Anadolu taraflarında münasip bir mahalle nakli hususuna irade-i seniyye şeref-sudur buyurulmuştur.; Siyasi
- Years (AH) with a criminal-record mark in the annual records
- 1316; 1317; 1318; 1319; 1320; 1321; 1322; 1323; 1324; 1326; 1330
Notes from the record
- Merit and competence grade (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 post (job title and place), same years
Of the 2 officials who held Başmüdür Kitabeti in Thessaloniki (Selanik) in the same years, Mehmet Talat Efendi had the highest salary.
- Hafız Ahmet Vefik Efendi3 shared years; highest salary 340 kuruş
Same place, same years
Of the 191 officials with entries in Thessaloniki (Selanik) in the same years, Mehmet Talat Efendi had the highest salary.
- Mustafa Nuri Efendi8 shared years; highest salary 900 kuruş
- Hasan Nazmi Efendi8 shared years; highest salary 700 kuruş
- Mehmet Aziz Efendi8 shared years; highest salary 700 kuruş
- Mehmet Galip Efendi8 shared years; highest salary 600 kuruş
- İsmail Zühtü Efendi8 shared years; highest salary 525 kuruş
Same job title, same years
Of the 31 officials with the title Mukayyit in the same years, Mehmet Talat Efendi had the highest salary.
- Ahmet Faiz Efend5 shared years; highest salary 5,400 kuruş
- Cemal Bey5 shared years; highest salary 1,100 kuruş
- Bekir Sıtkı Efendi5 shared years; highest salary 430 kuruş
- Abdullah Hilmi Efendi5 shared years; highest salary 300 kuruş
- Hafız Mehmet Emin Efendi5 shared years; highest salary 290 kuruş
Same school
Of the 3,206 officials with Rüşdiye Mektebi among their schools, 3,200 have a recorded salary; Mehmet Talat Efendi had the 3rd highest salary of them.
- Abbas Rüştü Efendiborn 1873/74 (AH 1290); highest salary 1,500 kuruş
- Abdülaziz Efendiborn 1873/74 (AH 1290); highest salary 750 kuruş
- Abdülbaki Efendiborn 1873/74 (AH 1290); highest salary 400 kuruş
- Abdülkerim Efendiborn 1873/74 (AH 1290); highest salary 675 kuruş
- Abdullah Efendiborn 1873/74 (AH 1290); highest salary 720 kuruş
Same birthplace
Of the 66 officials born in Edirne, Mehmet Talat Efendi had the highest salary.
- Mehmet Nuri Efendiborn 1873/74 (AH 1290); highest salary 50 kuruş
- Salih Safi Efendiborn 1873/74 (AH 1290); highest salary 800 kuruş
- Salim Sabri Efendiborn 1873/74 (AH 1290); highest salary 540 kuruş
- Cemil Efendiborn 1872/73 (AH 1289); highest salary 475 kuruş
- Manul(?) Efendiborn 1872/73 (AH 1289); highest salary 400 kuruş
First annual entry in the same year
Of the 136 officials whose first annual entry is for 1891/92 (AH 1309), Mehmet Talat Efendi had the highest salary.
- Abdülvahap Efendifirst entry in Malko Tarnovo (Tırnovacık); highest salary 750 kuruş
- Abraham Efendifirst entry in Kırklareli; highest salary 540 kuruş
- Ali Kemal Beyfirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 500 kuruş
- Fahrettin Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 400 kuruş
- Halit Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 500 kuruş
All 136 officials whose first annual entry is for 1891/92 (AH 1309)
Full record
Annual entries (19)
| Year | Title | Place | Kuruş a month | Institution | Source | Archive reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1891/92AH 1309 | Mukayyit | Edirne | 300 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 70_45; 87 |
| 1892/93AH 1310 | Mukayyit | Edirne | 300 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 70_45; 87 |
| 1893/94AH 1311 | Mukayyit | Edirne | 300 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 70_45; 87 |
| 1894/95AH 1312 | Mukayyit | Edirne | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 70_45; 87 |
| 1895/96AH 1313 | Mukayyit | Edirne | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 70_45; 87 |
| 1898/99AH 1316 | Seyyar Memur | Bitola (Manastır) | 675 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 70_45; 87 |
| 1899/1900AH 1317 | Başmüdür Kitabeti | Thessaloniki (Selanik) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 70_45; 87 |
| 1900/01AH 1318 | Başmüdür Kitabeti | Thessaloniki (Selanik) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 70_45; 87 |
| 1901/02AH 1319 | Başmüdür Kitabeti | Thessaloniki (Selanik) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 70_45; 87 |
| 1902/03AH 1320 | Başmüdür Kitabeti | Thessaloniki (Selanik) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 70_45; 87 |
| 1903/04AH 1321 | Tahrirat Baskitabeti | Thessaloniki (Selanik) | 900 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 70_45; 87 |
| 1904/05AH 1322 | Tahrirat Baskitabeti | Thessaloniki (Selanik) | 900 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 70_45; 87 |
| 1905/06AH 1323 | Tahrirat Baskitabeti | Thessaloniki (Selanik) | 900 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 70_45; 87 |
| 1906/07AH 1324 | Tahrirat Baskitabeti | Thessaloniki (Selanik) | 1,000 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 70_45; 87 |
| 1909/10AH 1327 | Dahiliye Nezaret-i Celilesi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 15,000 | Military (Askeriye) | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 70_45; 87 |
| 1910/11AH 1328 | Dahiliye Nezaret-i Celilesi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 15,000 | Other | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 70_45; 87 |
| 1911/12AH 1330 | PT Naziri | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 15,000 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 70_45; 87 |
| 1912/13AH 1331 | Dahiliye Nezaret-i Celilesi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 15,000 | Other | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 70_45; 87 |
| 1913/14AH 1332 | Dahiliye Nezaret-i Celilesi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 15,000 | Military (Askeriye) | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 70_45; 87 |
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 (36)
| Field | Recorded value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | ||
| Name | Mehmet Talat Efendi | Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Linked personnel workbook |
| Birth year (AH) | 1290 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Birthplace | edirne | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Birthplace: district (kaza) | Edirne | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Birthplace: sancak | Edirne | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Birthplace: province (vilayet) | Edirne | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Province of birth | edirne | 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 | Edirne | 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) | 1 used on this page | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Years of apprenticeship (mülazemet) | 0 other value | Recovered annual personnel extract |
| First work | ||
| First work: year (AH) | 1308 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Linked personnel workbook |
| First work: Gregorian year as stored | 1891 | Recovered annual personnel extract |
| First work: place | Edirne | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First work: district (kaza) | Edirne | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First work: sancak | Edirne | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First work: province (vilayet) | Edirne | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First job as worded | Telgraf | Linked personnel workbook; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Age at first work (workbook field) | 18 | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First salary field (kuruş a month) | 300 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First-job salary of the original workbook (kuruş a month) | 300 | Linked personnel workbook; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Honours | ||
| Mecidi order (recorded code) | 1 | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Osmani order (recorded code) | 1 | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Medal (recorded code) | 2 used on this page | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Medal (recorded code) | 1 other value | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Medal or decoration as worded | ve Romanya Devleti tarafindan ihdâ olunan birinci rutbeden Sen Tual Do Roman Nisani'nin used on this page | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Medal or decoration as worded | Altin Donanma Madalyasi other value | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Legal records | ||
| Judicial record (recorded code) | 2 | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Legal record note as worded | Politika / Mumaileyh politika töhmetiyle üç sene kalabendlik cezasına Edrine Vilayet-i Celilesi İstinaf Mahkemesi'nce mahkum olduğundan bin üç yüz on dört senesi Saferinin on dokuzunda 12 Temmuz sene 1314 azledilip Vilayet-i müşarünileyha hapishanesinde mahkûmen mevkuf bulunduğu hâlde hakkında afv-ı âli-yi hazret-i hilafet-penahi şayan buyurularak münasip bir işle kayrılmak üzere diğer vilayete nakli şeref-sudur buyurulan irade-i seniyye-i hazret-i padişahi iktiza-yı âlisinde bulunduğu Dahiliye Nezaret-i Celilesi'nin 17 numara ve 10 Mart sene 1314 tarihli tezkiresinde emir ve iş‘ar buyurulmuş olmakla bin üç yüz on altı senesi Saferinin yirmi üçünde 1 Temmuz sene 1314 beş yüz kuruş maaşla Selanik Vilayeti ile Manastır Vilayeti İdaresi Posta Seyyar Memuriyeti'ne tayin used on this page | Legal notes (earlier workbook copy); Legal notes (later workbook copy) |
| Legal record note as worded | Politika / Mumaileyhin bazı ahvaline mebni bin üç yüz beş senesi Şevvalinin on beşinde 8 Teşrinisani sene 1313 azliyle Anadolu taraflarında münasip bir mahalle nakli hususuna irade-i seniyye şeref-sudur buyurulmuştur. other value | Legal notes (earlier workbook copy); Legal notes (later workbook copy) |
| Legal record note as worded | Siyasi other value | Legal notes (earlier workbook copy); Legal notes (later workbook copy) |
| Years (AH) with a criminal-record mark in the annual records | 1316; 1317; 1318; 1319; 1320; 1321; 1322; 1323; 1324; 1326; 1330 | Later annual personnel extract |
| Other recorded values | ||
| Merit and competence grade (recorded code) | 1 | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
What the sources named in this table are
- Legal notes (earlier workbook copy)
- A workbook of notes on legal records. The wording is kept as written. It may hold an accusation or an acquittal, it is not the finding of a court, and its year is the year of the record, not the date of an event.
- Legal notes (later workbook copy)
- A later copy of the workbook of notes on legal records. The same wording in both copies is one note, 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.
- Later annual personnel extract
- The detailed annual personnel file of October 2025. It marks single annual entries with a criminal-record flag and holds status words such as Vefat. For a death, the year is the year of the annual list in which the status word stands.
- 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.
- 13 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 Talat Efendi
- Registry clerk (Mukayyit)
- Thessaloniki (Selanik)
- Edirne
- Rüşdiye school (Rüşdiye 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)