Amasya mütesellimi es-Seyyid el-Hâc Ali Ağa bin el-Hâc Ömer Ağa bin el-Hâc Yûsuf Ağa’nın mahdûmudur. Pederinin vefâtında yetîm olup büyük birâderi es-Seyyid el-Hâc Râşid Mehmed Efendi’nin himâyesinde büyüdü. Kıraat ve kitâbet öğrendi.
Ba’dehû iltizâm işlerinde bulunarak hayli servet edindi. l263 senesinden i’tibâren deâvâ ve idâre meclisi âzâsı oldu. l295’de teşekkül eden mahkeme-i bidâyet âzâsı olduğu halde 1299 senesi saferinde vefât etdi.
Maârif-âşinâ, halûk, hânedân bir zât idi. Efendi iken “Hacı Eşref Ağa” demekle meşhûr olmuşdu. Mahdûmları Ahmed Rıza, Ali Efendilerdir. Ahmed Rıza Efendi, Amasya erkânından olup tercemesi yazıldı. Ali Efendi de mekteb-i tıbbiyye talebesinden iken 1316’da İstanbul’da vefât etdi.
In Modern English
He is the son of the deputy governor (mütesellim) of Amasya, Seyyid Hacı Ali Ağa, who was the son of Hacı Ömer Ağa, who was the son of Hacı Yusuf Ağa. He was orphaned when his father died and grew up under the protection of his elder brother Seyyid Hacı Râşid Mehmed Efendi. He learned reading and writing.
Afterwards he engaged in tax-farming (iltizam) business and acquired considerable wealth. From the year 1263 [1846-47] he was a member of the council for lawsuits and administration. While a member of the court of first instance established in 1295 [1878], he died in the month of Safer of the year 1299 [1881-82].
He was a man who valued education, was good-natured and belonged to a long-established family. While still an "Efendi," he had become famous as "Hacı Eşref Ağa." His sons are Ahmed Rıza and Ali Efendi. Ahmed Rıza Efendi was among the leading men of Amasya, and his biography has been written. Ali Efendi died in Istanbul in 1316 [1898-99] while a student at the medical school.
Notes and Research
Old Words in the Text
- mütesellim: a deputy administrator who takes over the governance of a place from the governor
- mahdûm: son
- himâye: protection, care
- kıraat ve kitâbet: reading and writing
- iltizam: the business of collecting state revenues by auction
- deâvâ ve idâre meclisi: the local council dealing with lawsuits and administrative matters
- mahkeme-i bidâyet: court of first instance
- maârif-âşinâ: one who values education
- halûk: good-natured, of pleasant manner
- hânedân: a long-established, respected family
- mekteb-i tıbbiyye: medical school
A Fortune from Tax Farming
The Hacı Eşref Ağa of the entry is the child of a family in which his father and forebears had made the pilgrimage. His father served as mütesellim. This office shows that the family name was connected with administrative affairs in Amasya. Eşref Ağa's wealth was built through tax farming; in later years he rose to membership of the council and the court.
Other Sources
No information was found in other sources on Hacı Eşref Ağa, his father Ali Ağa or his elder brother Râşid Mehmed Efendi. It is noted that his son Ahmed Rıza Efendi has a separate biography in Hüsameddin's book. His younger son Ali Efendi is written to have died in 1316 (1898-99), about seventeen years after his father's death.
Bibliography
- Abdîzâde Hüseyin Hüsâmeddîn Yasar, Amasya Tarihi, Amasya Belediyesi Kültür Yayınları, 2022, vol. 7, p. 337–337. amasya.bel.tr