Ottoman 1908 Treasury Payment Receipt Daughter Court of Accounts Armenian Citizens Armenia

Ottoman Treasury Payment Receipt for the Daughter of a Court of Accounts Member (1908)

Description:

This Ottoman Turkish document, headed "Hazine-i Celîle-i Maliye" ("Imperial Treasury of Finance"), is an official payment receipt issued by the Ottoman Ministry of Finance and dated 15 April 1324 (28 April 1908). The document records a payment made by the Imperial Treasury to Eline Hanım, daughter of the late Onnik Bey, who had served as a member of the Divân-ı Muhasebât (Court of Accounts), the Ottoman Empire's highest financial auditing institution and the predecessor of the modern Court of Accounts (Sayıştay).

According to the document, Eline Hanım was entitled to receive the remaining eleven days of salary due from February 1323. The payment was authorized pursuant to an official communication issued by the Maaşât-ı Zâtiye Kalemi (Personal Salaries Department) dated 9 April 1324, and the amount paid totaled 133 kuruş.

The document further records the reason for the payment under the designation muhtacin, indicating that the beneficiary was officially recognized as being in financial need. Such payments formed part of the Ottoman state's system of financial assistance provided to eligible survivors of deceased government officials, illustrating the administrative mechanisms through which dependents could receive outstanding salary entitlements or state support.

Beyond its administrative significance, the document provides valuable evidence of the important role played by members of the Armenian community within the highest institutions of the Ottoman state. Onnik Bey served as a member of the Divân-ı Muhasebât, one of the empire's principal financial oversight bodies established in 1862 to supervise state revenues and expenditures. Following his death, the Ottoman Treasury continued to recognize the financial rights of his daughter, Eline Hanım, demonstrating the legal protections afforded to the families of civil servants regardless of their religious background.

Bearing its original official seals, this receipt is an excellent example of late Ottoman financial administration and civil service documentation. It also sheds light on the welfare mechanisms available to the families of state officials and illustrates the multicultural composition of the Ottoman bureaucracy during the final years of the empire.

For collectors and researchers, this is an exceptional historical document connecting Ottoman financial administration, the history of the Divân-ı Muhasebât, Armenian participation in the Ottoman civil service, and the state's support for the surviving dependents of public officials.

Key Features:

• Type: Ottoman Imperial Treasury payment receipt

• Title: Hazine-i Celîle-i Maliye

• Date: 15 April 1324 (28 April 1908)

• Institution: Ottoman Ministry of Finance (Hazine-i Celîle-i Maliye)

• Beneficiary: Eline Hanım, daughter of the late Onnik Bey

• Former Official: Onnik Bey, member of the Divân-ı Muhasebât (Court of Accounts)

• Amount Paid: 133 kuruş

• Payment Purpose: Remaining eleven days of salary due from February 1323, authorized by the Maaşât-ı Zâtiye Kalemi

• Reason for Issuance: Recorded as muhtacin, indicating that the beneficiary was officially recognized as being in financial need

• Historical Context: Documents financial assistance provided by the Ottoman Treasury to the daughter of a deceased member of the Divân-ı Muhasebât, illustrating both the welfare provisions available to the families of civil servants and the participation of Armenian officials within the highest levels of the Ottoman administration

• Physical Features: Original official seals

• Collectible Significance: Valuable for collectors of Ottoman financial documents, Armenian heritage, civil service history, Divân-ı Muhasebât (Court of Accounts) material, and late Ottoman administrative ephemera