Transcription and evaluation of the Oltu Sanjak Muslim Population Book [h.1251 (m.1835/1836)]

The nationalization efforts after the French Revolution, the changes in the armies and the need for soldiers increased the efforts of the Ottoman Empire on the census. With the abolition of the Janissary Corps in 1826, the need for soldiers for the newly established army called Asâkir-i Mansûre-i Muhammediyye emerged, and therefore it was important to obtain accurate information about the age and number of the male population in the country. For this purpose, During the reign of II. Mahmud, the first census in the modern sense was carried out in 1830/1831. The census carried out in Oltu Sanjak of Çıldır Province is one of them. Senior civil servants were appointed for the census, and state and sanjak administrators were asked to assist the officers. The ledgers created as a result of the census were sent to the capital. In this period, the Population Ministry was established, and population affairs were carried out. One of the censuses made in the following years was carried out in Oltu, which is now within the borders of Erzurum province, but was a sanjak of Çıldır Province at that time. The Oltu Muslim Population Book, which is the subject of our study, is located in the Presidency of the State Archives with the code NFS.d and the sequence number 02772. On the cover page of the book, it is stated that the book is a male population book with the state and sanjak information. The censuses started in Hüseyin Beğ location and continued with 4 central districts and 62 villages. Household owners were specified by the census taker and each person was recorded by giving numbers. The relocations, death and birth records that occurred in time were updated on the book until H.1258. With the records added later, 5913 people were identified in 1837 households. This study, in which we transcribe and evaluate the Oltu Sanjak Muslim Population Book, contains information about the physical characteristics of the people living in the region, their military service status, their occupations, the names they use, their age, and their disability. It has been observed that the Oltu people, who generally have a young population, have names that are commonly used among Muslims. Shepherd was the most common occupation in the sanjak. The study also includes data on the administrative structure of the region. An administration was established in 3 neighborhoods and 58 villages. The data obtained as a result of the study, besides providing a source for the population registration system, gives us an idea about the general situation of the population of Oltu in the 19th century. Keywords: Erzurum-Oltu, Census Book, XIX. Century Ottoman Population