 Ferry was born in Granby, Massachusetts to Noah Henry Ferry and Hannah Montague Ferry.Ferry did not pursue farming like his father, instead he chose a professional career, graduating at age 24 in 1821 from Union College at Schenectady, New York He attended New Brunswick Seminary and received his ordination by the New York Presbytery in 1822.In the 1820s, Ferry established a Christian mission of Native Americans on Mackinac Island.