Ferry County Death Records

Ferry County obituary and death records are held across several local and state sources, covering deaths from the county's earliest recorded years through the present. If you need to find a death notice, order a certified death certificate, or trace family history in this corner of northeastern Washington, you can search through the Northeast Tri County Health District, the Washington State Digital Archives, and a range of historical collections. This guide covers each source and tells you how to get what you need, including fees, contact details, and which agency handles which time period.

Ferry County Vital Records Office

Ferry County is a rural county in northeastern Washington. It was carved out of Stevens County in 1899, and the county seat is Republic. For death certificates and vital records, residents turn to the Northeast Tri County Health District, which serves Ferry, Pend Oreille, and Stevens counties. Because Ferry County is sparsely populated, many residents rely on the Washington State Department of Health for certified copies, especially for deaths that occurred more than 30 days prior.

For recent deaths, the local health district can help with ordering. For anything older than 30 days, the state office in Olympia handles requests. The fee for a certified death certificate is $25 per copy. If you are not sure which office to contact, the Northeast Tri County Health District can point you in the right direction.

The page below is from the official Ferry County health services page, which lists contact information for public health resources available to Ferry County residents including vital records assistance.

This page is the primary starting point for Ferry County residents who need help finding the right office for death certificates or related vital records.

Under RCW 70.58A, Washington State's vital statistics law, certified copies of death records are restricted to individuals with a qualifying relationship to the deceased. This rule took effect on January 1, 2021. You will need to show identity documents and proof of relationship when you apply. Informational copies, which are not certified and cannot be used for legal purposes, are available more broadly and are often enough for genealogy work.

Washington State Digital Archives Death Index

The Washington State Digital Archives Death Certificate Index covers Ferry County deaths from 1907 through 1960 and again from 1965 through 2017. The full index has more than 2.3 million records and is free to search. Most entries show the name, date of death, gender, county or city where the death occurred, age at death, and the death certificate number.

The 1907 to 1960 portion was indexed by volunteers through the FamilySearch Indexing Project, and those entries tend to have more detail. Many include cause of death, place of burial, and names of surviving family members. The 1965 to 2017 section was supplied directly by the Department of Health and has less biographical detail but still covers the key identifying fields. For Ferry County deaths in the mid-20th century, this is usually the fastest place to start a search.

Death certificate images are available online for deaths more than 25 years ago. The index for 1961 through 1964 is not online. That portion is on microfilm at the Washington State Archives in Olympia. If you find a record in the index and need a certified copy, contact the Washington Department of Health Center for Health Statistics at (360) 236-4313 or (360) 236-4312. That office handles certified copies from July 1, 1907, through three months before the current date.

Ferry County Historical Death Records

Ferry County was created in 1899, and death registration at the county level began in the 1890s. Before the state took over death registration on July 1, 1907, the Ferry County Auditor kept local death records. Those early registers have been microfilmed and are available through the Washington State Library and the Washington State Digital Archives.

The Washington State Library's Vital Records guide notes that pre-1907 county death registers were microfilmed and can be viewed at the State Library in Olympia. The Washington State Library vital records LibGuide explains how to submit a lookup request through the Ask-A-Librarian service if you cannot visit in person. You will need to include a date range when you ask, since the index runs across many reels of microfilm.

The Washington Secretary of State also published a research guide on finding death records. The How to find Washington State Death Records handout explains that counties were responsible for collecting death records before July 1, 1907, and that most county death registers have been digitized. For Ferry County, the county auditor's early records are part of that statewide microfilm project.

Note: FamilySearch holds Washington County Death Registers, 1881-1979, which includes Ferry County entries as an indexed and image collection available free with a FamilySearch account.

Ordering Ferry County Death Certificates

You can order a certified Ferry County death certificate three ways: in person at the local health office, by mail through the Washington State Department of Health, or online through VitalChek. The Washington State Department of Health vital records ordering page lays out all three methods and lists what documents you will need to provide.

Mail orders go to the Washington Department of Health, Center for Health Statistics, P.O. Box 9709, Olympia, WA 98507-9709. The fee is $25 per certificate by mail, and processing takes 8 to 10 weeks after the office gets your payment. Online and phone orders through VitalChek start at $40.50 per certificate. There is an optional $3.00 identity authentication fee that can bring the total to $43.50. VitalChek is the only state-contracted third-party vendor. Any other service offering to process your order will charge fees on top of the state cost.

The VitalChek ordering portal for Ferry County is shown here, accessed through the state's authorized ordering service for Washington vital records.

VitalChek accepts credit and debit cards and typically ships orders within 3 to 7 business days, which is much faster than the mail route.

For questions about your order, the Consumer Resource Center is open Monday through Friday from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM at 206-464-6684 or 800-551-4636. For deaths in the current or previous month, you should contact the local health district in the county where the death occurred rather than the state office, since the state office does not have those records yet. Specific details on the death records ordering page at DOH cover eligibility, acceptable identification, and how to prove your relationship to the deceased.

Genealogy Resources for Ferry County Deaths

Researchers tracing family history in Ferry County have several tools beyond the state archives. FamilySearch holds Washington Death Certificates from 1907 through 1960 as a free searchable index. Washington County Death Registers from 1881 through 1979 are also available on FamilySearch as indexed images. Both collections include Ferry County entries and are free to access with a FamilySearch account.

The Washington State Library holds microfilm copies of early Ferry County death registers in its genealogy collection. You can submit a lookup request through the Ask-A-Librarian service if you need help finding a specific record. Staff will search by name but need a date range because the death index spans many reels.

Local newspapers in Republic and the surrounding communities published death notices and obituaries for Ferry County residents going back to the late 1800s. Some of those notices have been indexed and placed into online collections. The Washington State Digital Archives holds death records transferred from county custody and state agency records, and new records continue to be added as digitization work continues.

The Department of Health Death Certificates collection at the Digital Archives covers July 1, 1907 through 1996, with ongoing additions. That collection includes Ferry County events and often provides more detail than the index alone, including cause of death, place of burial, and parental names. Images for records more than 25 years old are available to view online at no charge.

Cities in Ferry County

Ferry County communities include Republic, Curlew, Danville, and Malo. No cities in Ferry County currently meet the population threshold for a dedicated city page on this site.

Nearby Counties

Ferry County borders several other Washington counties in the northeastern part of the state. Each has its own vital records system and court offices.