The social structure of Gönen according to population registers between the years H. (1247-1253) / G. (1831-1837)

Gönen, located in the southern part of the Marmara region in Turkey and a district of Balıkesir, has been a hub of attraction throughout history due to its fertile plains nourished by the Gönen River and its thermal springs. Hosting various civilizations, it was part of the Ottoman Empire from the 14th to the 19th century, initially under the Hüdavendigar Sanjak and later reorganized under the Karesi Sanjak of the Hüdavendigar Province. During the reign of Sultan Mahmut II in the Ottoman Empire, the first modern census was conducted in 1831 for military and taxation purposes, including in Gönen. This study utilizes the population registers created from the 1831 census in Gönen, focusing on the district's social structure. The main sources are the Muslim Population Register (No. 1422) and the Non-Muslim Population Register (No. 1375) found in the State Archives Population Registers Fund. Missing pages in the Muslim register were supplemented using the Population Enumeration Registers. The research revealed that Gönen district comprised 6 neighborhoods, 22 villages, and 1 farm. Three of the neighborhoods had a non-Muslim population, two villages were exclusively non-Muslim, and one village had both Muslim and non-Muslim inhabitants. The remaining 19 villages were entirely Muslim. The study, analyzing data through tables and supporting it with existing literature, presents the social structure of Gönen district between the years H. (1247-1253) / M. (1831-1837). Its significance lies in being the first study based on the Gönen population registers, anticipated to be a valuable resource for future research.