Ferry County, Washington Genealogy

United States Washington  Ferry County   Guide to  genealogy. Birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records, since 1899, when the county was formed.

Parent County(s)
Ferry County, Washington was created 18 February 1899 from Stevens.

County Seat: Republic. See also Towns and Communities in. For Courthouse, see Archives, libraries, etc.

Boundary Changes

 * Historical County Boundaries from Newberry Library

Courthouse
Ferry County Courthouse 350 East Delaware; PO Box 302 Republic, WA 99166 Phone: 509.775.5232 County Clerk has divorce, probate and court records from 1899.

See also Archives, libraries, etc. in.

Neighboring Counties
is surrounded by: Lincoln | Okanogan | Stevens | British Columbia (to the north)

Topics for
Below are resources used for family history and genealogy, with dates, value of records, and how to access them for. Internet links may contain names, images, or more information for the county.

Cemeteries

 * Alpha list of cemeteries in the county with links to online transcripts.

Census

 * Census indexes at Washington State Digital Archives: (Free)
 * Federal: 1910
 * These were indexed by local societies and individuals.

Church Records

 * Church records (microfilmed originals or published transcripts) for are listed in the . (Press space bar to select town.)

Court Records
Many of your ancestors may be found in court records as defendants, plaintiffs, witnesses, or jurors. Court records can establish family relationships and places of residence, occupations, and other family history information. See Washington Court Records for the various courts through the years.

For specialized court records, see Divorce · Guardianship · Land · Naturalization · Probate

American Indian
The Colville Indian Reservation is located in southern Ferry and southern Okanogan counties.

Japanese

 * World War II Files, 1942-1946. Public Welfare/Social Security Department, (Japanese Internment) Assistance Cases, Evacuee Referrals for Resettlement and Assistance, 1945-1946 from the Washington State Archives – Digital Archives.

Guardianship
Guardianship of orphans or adults unable to manage their own affairs were handled by the probate and the Federal District courts. See Washington Court Records.

History

 * "Kewa Cemetery" online
 * " Covington Cemetery" online
 * "Garden Valley Cemetery" online
 * "Genealogy Research in Ferry County, Washington" online
 * "Ferry County, Washington Public Records" online

History Timeline
Historical County Boundaries from Newberry Library Emphasis for this timeline is on events that affected migration, records, or record-keeping. Unless otherwise mentioned, the events below were gleaned from Wilma, David. Ferry County -- Thumbnail History, History Link.org Essay 7787.


 * The original inhabitants of what is now Ferry County were several semi-nomadic Indian tribes, with the predominating.
 * 1811 - The fur trader and cartographer, David Thompson (1770-1857), reached Kettle Falls.
 * 1825 - The (HBC)establish a fur post.
 * 1872-April - the was established.
 * 1892-July 2 - The United States government purchased the northern half of the Colville Reservation.
 * 1896-February 21 - The northern half was opened to prospectors after minerals, especially gold, were discovered.
 * 1898-June 30 - The southern half was opened to prospectors.
 * 1899-February - Ferry County was formed and Republic, its only sizeable town, was declared county seat.
 * 1900 - Approximately 12,500 mining claims had been staked in Ferry County.
 * 1900 - The northern half of the reservation was opened to timber claims and homesteading.
 * 1916-July 1 - The southern half of the reservation was opened to homesteading.

Land and Property

 * County Recorder's Office: check deeds, file mining claims, get assistance in finding ownership of a particular property, and obtain copies of county plat maps. This office has county plat records dating back to 1878, prior records having been destroyed in a fire.

Military

 * World War II (1941–1945) army enlistments at the county GenWeb site has about 400 entries, mostly from Okanogan and other counties. Key (at end of the list) explains codes and columns. Gives year and state of birth. Free.

Naturalization and Citizenship
Declarations of Intent before 1906 often include the nation of origin, his* foreign and "Americanized" names, residence, and date of arrival. See Washington Naturalization and Citizenship for more information. (*Women were not naturalized until 1922 in the United States.)

Washington State Digital Archives has digitized various types of naturalization-related records, including declarations of intentions, delayed birth files, naturalization affidavits, notifications of application for admission to US citizenship, orders fixing naturalization terms, petitions and records, petitions, receipts for certificates of citizenship, record of final decrees of citizenship and record of petitions dockets. Depending on the county, records range from 1854-1988.


 * Naturalization Records, 1906-1927 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)

Newspapers

 * Newspapers (Sortable by towns, years, and titles)


 * The Miner

Obituaries
Also check:


 * Newspapers of
 * Local Funeral Homes, Libraries, or family records.
 * Obituaries of neighboring counties

Public Records

 * Prior to 1965 Part of: County Records, Prior to 1965 FamilySearch Historical Collections (free)

Ferry County Board of Commissioners, Minutes, 1899-1952, 1983-2006 available online at www.digitalarchives.wa.gov.

Taxation
The SCHS has the county assessor's personal property tax assessment ledgers for 1898. Images of the ledger are viewable on the Crossroads on the Columbia project.

Marriage

 * Marriage Records, 1900-1999 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)

Divorce
Divorce records give the names of the parties and may give the date and place of their marriage. See Washington Vital Records for excellent information.

Death

 * Washington Death Certificates 1907-1960 A free internet index to the 1907-1960 death certificates can be found at FamilySearch Record Search, no images are available. A transcribed death certificate may contain such information as name of the deceased, date and place of death, age, gender, birth date and birth place, mother’s maiden name and name of spouse, place of residence, occupation and certificate numbers.
 * Register of Deaths 1899-1911 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)

Websites
Sites with online indexes or images of records:


 * Northeast Washington Genealogical Society includes Ferry County.
 * USGenWeb Project (free)
 * USGenWeb Archives Project (free). (Mirror site)
 * Current Collections at Washington State Digital Archives (Free) Type county name, click Search, then select a collection. Collections were posted to the appropriate headings for this Wiki page in November, 2013.
 * Historical Collections at FamilySearch.org. (Free) Click "Last Updated." Collections through October 2013 have been posted to the appropriate headings for this Wiki page.

Sites that search the Internet for records online:


 * Web Sites at RootsWeb - Ferry WA (Free)
 * Linkpendium (free)
 * CyndisList (free)

Major catalogs to offline genealogical records: Catalogs refer to books, microfilm, manuscripts, and/or Internet images and indexes for various topics.


 * for (Select topics. Add comma to select towns.)
 * WorldCat To find libraries near you that have items of interest, see WorldCat Online Catalog.
 * Allen County Public Library (Indiana)
 * See also local libraries and Washington Archives and Libraries

Archives, Libraries, etc.
Resources for are available in libraries, archives, and other repositories at all levels: the town, the county, the state (including universities), and the nation.


 * Check websites and catalogs, such as items in (Utah) or Allen County Public Library (Indiana) for.

Family History Centers

 * Republic_Washington_Family_History_Center 10 W 15th St., Republic, WA 99166

Libraries

 * Kettle River East Library, 5th And C Street, Orient 99160 Phone: (509) 738-3033


 * Online Resources: (None found Oct. 2013)


 * Unique Collections:


 * Republic Community Library, 794 S Clark Ave, Republic 99166 Phone: (509) 775-3328


 * Online Resources: Heritage Quest


 * Unique Collections:

Societies

 * Northeast Washington Genealogical Society assists those researching in Ferry, Pend Oreille, and Stevens County. Classes and meetings are held the second Wednesday of the month. Mailing address is Northeast Washington Genealogical Society, c/o Colville Public Library, 195 S Oak, Colville, WA 99114.

Towns and Communities
See a list of towns and communities in Ferry County per Wikipedia.

Indian Reservation

The Colville Indian Reservation is located in southern Ferry and southern Okanogan counties.