Evaluation of the population of Niksar neighborhood according to the population book no. 2387

Population is the plural of the Arabic word "nefs". It also means "spirit, life, soul". In its general sense, population refers to the human community that lives in a certain order and in a place with certain borders. Since the beginning of the Ottoman Empire, population censuses have been carried out in order to determine those who are obliged to pay taxes within certain rules and especially the military presence. For this reason, censuses vary according to periods and the purposes for which they are prepared. The aim of the first censuses was to determine the tax potential in the country in connection with the timar system. Over time, when the timar system lost its importance, censuses began to be carried out as avarız censuses and continued throughout the 18th century. With the developments in the 19th century, the nature of census operations began to change. Population determination in the modern sense was first attempted in the Ottoman Empire in 1828-1829. However, it was interrupted due to the Ottoman-Russian war and the census could not be implemented in all districts as desired. Although the desired census could not be carried out, this initiative is considered the first modern census in the Ottoman Empire. In order not to frighten the public due to the uneasiness experienced after the war, the state published a text during the 1828 census and asked the public to help the registry officers. As a result, population records that will be of great importance in historical research have emerged. Because population records provide researchers with a lot of information, especially the economic and social structure of the recorded period. In addition, since population books reveal the number of people, gender status, age distribution, occupational style, language, religion and education status, they are also very important for those who will work to research the sociological, economic and historical aspects of societies and write their social history. The notebook numbered 2387 belonging to the Niksar District, which contains all this information, provides very valuable data about the region between the years 1838-1839. In this study, the notebooks belonging to 29 neighborhoods of Niksar on the specified dates were transcribed and an attempt was made to support their interpretation and understanding with tables. In addition, information was obtained about some communities that came to that region later. This situation at the end of the notebook is supported by visuals. As a result, it was possible to make a more accurate assessment of the population and social structure of Niksar District between the specified dates.