Serfdom

An interesting piece of information that I gleaned from the Exeter, NH Historical Society website is that it is unlikely that many (any?) ordinary Lithuanians emigrated before 1861. The reason is that common people were enserfed under the Russian Imperial system, and were not permitted to move from their local area (except for military service). Women moved to join their husbands' families when they married, but men were bound to their landlords. This means that I can be pretty sure of my family's origins going back quite far, if I can document them back to 1861.