People have always taken an interest in their own past, and this interest has prompted them to study their family histories in some depth. Numerous sources with information about family history can be accessed in the public archives. They include a large collection of authentic historical records, with countless data of baptisms, births, marriages and deaths. Most of these documents are kept in the Civil Registry Archives in Duisburg (for the North Rhine region) and Detmold (for the Westphalia and Lippe regions).