The best way to begin your family history is to talk to you family. Those family members that are still with you and can remember some of the 'good ole days' are a wealth of information and, in most cases, very solid leads.
Once you have recorded (either through voice recorder or writing), it is time to begin your true research.
If your family resides in Maryland and has done so for sometime, the Maryland Archives is an excellent place to begin. They have several excellent volunteers who will be able to assist you on the use of microfilm readers, reading tricky government records, etc.
350 Rowe Boulevard - Annapolis, MD 21401
410-260-6400 / MD toll free: 800-235-4045 / tty: 800-735-2258
email: archives@mdsa.net
Maryland Archives Website:
It is always a good idea to keep a notebook or preferably a computer based 'family tree'. This keeps the many facts, numbers and people you are going to find while doing your research.
If you have a site that would be helpful to other researchers, please let me post it so that it may be shared. Email me the information and link to germanmarylanders@gmail.com
A great place to start...
Searching for your Genealogical Records
History at Home: A Guide to Genealogy by Home Advisor
Genealogy A Complete Resource Guide
Using DNA to Trace your Family Ancestry
Ancestry.com (Some Free records)
New York Times Passenger Lists
The History of Ellis Island (PW Parker/Waichman LLP site)
Immigrant Ship Transcribers Guild
Researching Your Family's History from Passenger Lists
The Olive Tree Passenger Lists
Palmer Lists of Merchant Vessels
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Genealogy and AI (Artificial Intelligence)
Library of Congress Digitized 'Der deutsche Correspondent'(Written in German)
Baden Württemberg
Bavaria
Archives
http://www.landesarchiv-bw.de/web/
http://www.auswanderer-bw.de/auswanderer/index.php?sprache=de&suche=1
Württembergische Ortssippenbücher
http://www.genealogienetz.de/reg/BAD-WUE/OSB-WUE.html#OSB
Landshut, Bavaria
http://www.landshut.de/start.html
Emigration from Bavaria
http://www.hdbg.de/auswanderung/english/index2.h
Bavarian Genealogical Forum (German)
http://www.ahnenforschung-bayern.de/forum/
Place Names in Bavaria
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~bavaria/places.html
Helmstadt
Archives
http://www.landesarchiv-berlin.de/lab-neu/home.htm
Geheimes Staatsarchiv Preussischer Kulturbesitz
Federal Commission for Stasi Archives (German)
Archives
http://www.landeshauptarchiv-brandenburg.de/
Brandenburg Online Databases
http://www.db-brandenburg.de/index.php
East Prussian Research
Archives
http://www.staatsarchiv.bremen.de/sixcms/detail.php?gsid=bremen02.c.730.de
Bremen & Vegasack Records (German)
http://www.online-ofb.de/vegesack/index.php?lang=en
Die Maus-Genealogy in Bremen
http://www.genealogienetz.de/vereine/maus/index_e.htm
Archives
http://www.kulturwerte-mv.de/cms2/LAKD1_prod/LAKD1/de/start/index.jsp
Die Pommerschen Leute
Helpful Website
http://www.emecklenburg.de/Mecklenburg/en/index.htm
Archives
http://www.staatsarchive.niedersachsen.de/
Lower Saxony Archives
http://aidaonline.niedersachsen.de/
Emigrants from the former Amt Damme, Oldenburg (now Niedersachsen) 1830-1849
http://www.auswanderer-oldenburg.de/
Niedersachsen (Lower Saxony)
http://www.genealogienetz.de/reg/NSAC/nsac.html
Hannover
The 1852 Census of the Kingdom of Hannover
http://www.hist.de/edition-hist%28e%29.html
Hannover Parish Registers (Niedersachsen)
http://www.hist.de/KB-hannover.htm
Evangelisch Lutherischer Stadtkirchenverband Hannover
http://www.evlka.de/archiv/kirchenbuecher2.html
Emslanders (Hannover) to the American Mid-West
Archives
Borgholz
Nordrhein/Westfalen
http://www.rootsweb.com/~deunrhwf/
Kreis Lippe Official Page
Lippe Emigration
http://www.lippe-auswanderer.de/index-eng.htm
Kirchenkreis Minden
http://www.kirchenkreis-minden.de
Hegensdorfer
http://www.germanroots.com/hegensdorf/
The South Cemetery in Dusseldorf
Der Suedfriedhof in Duesseldorf
http://postmortal.de/Duesseldorf/D-Suedfriedhof/d-suedfriedhof.html
Archives
http://www.landeshauptarchiv.de/
Genealogical Information
http://www.genealogienetz.de/reg/RHE-PFA/rhein-p.html
Palatines to America
http://www.palam.org/index.php
Archives
http://www.saarland.de/staatskanzlei.htm
Kirchenbücher im Sauerland
General Information/Genealogy
http://genealoger.com/german/ger_4_saarland.htm
Archives
Saxony Genealogy Resources
http://vgsgermansig.org/research/resources-by-modern-state/saxonysachsen-genealogy-resources/
Archives
http://www.landesarchiv.sachsen-anhalt.de/lha/
Saxony-Anhalt Archives (site includes all of the local Archive Addresses)
http://home.bawue.de/~hanacek/info/darchi14.htm
Schleswig-Holstein Archives
Dithmarschen Emigrants
http://www.genealogy-sh.de/E/dithm/index.htm
Geneaology Websites for Schleswig-Holstein (German)
Austrian Genealogical Links
http://www.rootsweb.com/~autwgw/agsfrm.htm
American Historial Society of Germans From Russia
Ancestors from Russia
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/!odcolonies/
Posen Vital Records