 In 1883–1884, Volters visited communities of Prussian Lithuanians in East Prussia and collected data about their language and culture focusing on customs and traditions surrounding baptism, weddings, and funerals.In March 1884, he presented his findings to the Imperial Russian Geographical Society and was elected true member of the society.Encouraged by the success, until 1887, he organized annual expeditions to various locations in Lithuania and Latvia (near Vilnius and Švenčionys, Samogitia, Suvalkija, Latgale) to collect ethnographic data.