The George Nicoloff papers document the activities of a Macedonian/Bulgarian religious and cultural community in the late 20th-century United States. The papers are divided into five series: Personal Papers, Planners, Correspondence, Parish Records (St. Clement Ohridsky, St. Paul Macedono-Bulgarian Orthodox Cathedral) and the Diocese series.
Most of the correspondence and many other documents in this collection are written in the Bulgarian Cyrillic alphabet, and so could not be assessed for content at the time of processing. Correspondence in Bulgarian is included either at the back of general correspondence folders, or, when it exists in sufficient quantity and can be separated from the main body of correspondence, in separate folders. Folders containing material principally in Bulgarian have been so noted.
George Nicoloff was born in 1906 in Sofia, Bulgaria. He entered seminary at the age of 13, and graduated 10 years later from the Theological Faculty of the University of Sofia. In 1930 he began doctoral studies in theology and philosophy at the University of Vienna. George Nicoloff and Vera Buneva were married in 1935. Shortly thereafter he was ordained to the priesthood and was selected to serve at St. Clement of Ohrid Macedono-Bulgarian Church of Detroit, where he first celebrated the liturgy in January of 1936.
While in Bulgaria, Fr. Nicoloff was well-known for his active role in the Macedonian Freedom Movement. He wrote for several newspapers and translated the Gettysburg Address from German into Bulgarian, the language in which he had it published for the first time. After his immigration to the United States, he became a leader in the U.S.-based Macedonian Patriotic Organization.
For nearly a decade after his arrival, Fr. Nicoloff was the only Bulgarian Orthodox Priest in the United States. He provided religious ministrations throughout the Midwest during this time period, and is estimated to have baptized, married, and buried thousands over the course of his career. Additionally, he served as a leader to the Macedonian/Bulgarian immigrant community, and helped many new immigrants establish their lives in this country. He was a frequent contributor to the Macedonian Tribune newspaper, as well as to the Voice of America radio broadcasts.
In 1970, the parish of St. Clement where Fr. Nicoloff served was moved to Dearborn Heights, where it became St. Paul Macedono-Bulgarian Orthodox Cathedral. In 1971, Fr. Nicoloff was elevated to Protopresbyter, the highest level attainable for a married priest in the Bulgarian Orthodox Church. He continued to serve actively at St. Paul until his retirement in 1991. Otets, as he was lovingly called by many, died in 1997 at the age of 90. In 2000, his family published a collection of remembrances of Fr. Nicoloff, a testament to the many lives he touched.
Please refer to the May, 15 1997 Special Edition of the Macedonian Tribune and the booklet In Remembrance of Father George in Box 1, which served as sources for this Biographical Note, for more detailed information on the life of Fr. Nicoloff.
