The Civil Servants' Archive: Ministry employees 1885 - 1914

The Civil Servants' Archive: Ministry employees 1885 - 1914

Basic material: Knut Dahl Jacobsen, University of Bergen

Description of the original material:

The original material was on a file consisting of 1279 cards. This archive was organized by position as a unit. In each card, information is given about three positions called 'previous', 'current' and 'advancement'. In the card images that include a person, all data that does not include these positions are identical. This is data that provides the following information about the official:

- gender
- official's date of birth
- father's profession
- artium character
- artium ulcers
- university education: type
- university education: character
- university education: degree year
- other education

The period completely lacks information about the official's place of birth and about artium divided into lines. The information that the archive provides about the ministry positions 'former', 'current' and 'advancement' is:

- which department
- which department within the ministry
- which office within the department
- type of position in the ministry
- type of position outside the ministry if the position was not in the ministry (does not apply to 'current')
- date of employment in 'current position' and date of promotion

The archive has been reorganized to a record per. person

- SEQUENCE NUMBER - Serial number is currently retained. Officials are sorted alphabetically by surname.
- GENDER - Identical codes with integrated archive. The variable is transferred directly.
- DATE OF BIRTH - Identical codes with integrated archive. The variable is transfer directly.
- FATHER'S PROFESSION - Original archive has been recoded to come in accordance with the other sub-archives. A small problem is the recoding of the value 11 'other public or private official'. This was given the value 420 'subordinate public servant'. This means that officials from this period with fathers who were private functionaries have been given the code 420 under the variable 'father's occupation'.
- ARTIUM CHARACTER - From this variable, information is retrieved for both the variable 'artium-type' and 'artium-grade' in the integrated archive. Officials with codes 1 to 4 are given code 7 'artium-unspecified line' under the variable 'artium-type', while codes 1,2,3 and 4 are recoded to 5,6,7 and 8 under the variable 'artium-grade'. The officials who have code 9 have no artium and they get code 0 'not artium' under the variable 'artium-type' and code 9 'not relevant / missing information' under the variable 'artium-grade'. Code 0 is coded to 9 'missing information' both under variable 'artium-type' and 'artium-grade'.
- ARTIUM ULCERS - Artium ulcers are transmitted directly except for those who do not have artium who receive code 000 'not relevant'.
- UNIVERSITY EDUCATION TYPE - The division has been recoded in accordance with the new codebook.
- UNIVERSITY EDUCATION GRADES - The variable is coded under 'higher education grade first exam' in the integrated archive. The variable 'higher education grade second exam' is coded 00 'not applicable' for all officials from this period. In the codebook, a code 5 'failed' is entered. The original material has been checked without anyone having this code being found. The other codes have only been given a new value, as the division into categories follows it in the integrated archive.
- UNIVERSITY EDUCATION-EXAMINATION YEAR - The code has been transferred directly to the variable 'higher education-examination year first examination' with the exception of code 999, which has been changed to 000 'not relevant'. Everyone from this period receives the code 000 'not relevant' under the variable 'higher education-exam year second exam'.
- OTHER EDUCATION - The variable gives a division of types of education that are not at university or college level. These are recoded under the variable 'other education' in the integrated archive if the official in question does not have a higher education. If the civil servant has a higher education, 00 'is not relevant' under the variable 'other education'. The variable also provides codes for law in combination with other types of education. These types of education are defined as higher education in the integrated archive. Officials with these codes have been given a code for a law degree under the variable 'higher education' and 00 'not relevant' under the variable 'other education'.
Coverage for the variable 'study time' in the integrated archive is obtained by calculating this from given information on years of artium and higher education. The variable "study time" is calculated as: The difference between artium years and exam years for higher education is calculated. If the civil servant does not have an artium or higher education, the variable 'study time' 00 is coded 'not relevant'. If the artium year or year of higher education is unknown, the variable 99 is coded 'missing information'. Coverage for the variables 'position before-after ministry' and variables that provide information about ministry positions are obtained from the variables in the original material 'previous position', 'current position' and 'advancement' according to the following principles:

1. Current information about 'previous position' is read only from the first record, as 'previous position' in record no. i is identical to 'current position' in record no. i-1. If the 'previous position' in the first record is a ministry position, the position before the ministry must be coded as unknown, and the year of employment for the ministry position must be coded as unknown. If the 'previous position' in the first record is a position outside the ministry, it is recoded under the variable 'position before employment in the ministry'. In both cases, there will be no coverage for the variable 'time in position before ministry' and this must be coded 9999 'missing information.
2. Relevant information on 'current position' is read from all records belonging to an official. This position is a ministry position where there is information about the type of ministry, position within the ministry and year of employment. Department and office information is not relevant for the integrated archive. The current variables are recoded.
3. If 'advancement' is a ministry position and there is no last record for a civil servant, only 'advancement year' is read, as the other information under 'advancement' reappears as 'current position' in the next record. 'Advance year' is coded as resignation year to 'current position'. If 'advancement' is a position outside the ministry, the 'advancement year' is still coded as the 'current position' year of resignation. In addition, 'promotion' is recoded under one of the variables 'position after employment in a ministry' and 'promotion year' is coded as this position's year of employment. The only case that remains is whether 'advancement' in the last record is a ministry position. In that case, the information on ministry type, ministry position and year of employment is coded. In this case, there is no coverage for the year of resignation to the last ministry position, any position after the end of ministry service. These variables must be coded for missing information.

There is a small problem with the recoding of the job categories where a common code for copyists and extra printers has been used for this period. To avoid too much detail in the integrated archive, the relevant officials are coded 14 'copied'. One must thus be aware that there are a number of extra printers from this period who have been given a code for copying.

All years can be transferred directly as the last three digits with 999 as the code for missing information have been used.

This file in the total archive includes 692 units, of which unit is now person.