The second son of Luke Malachi Conry and Sally Garvey of Lisaphillip West and Runnacocka north of Elphin, his elder brother's name was John. Luke was the son of Francis Conry and Brigid Dempsey, Frank's neighbour. Sally had two sisters, Anne, who married Owen O'Byrne of Meelick House and had Cecilia O'Byrne, mother by Steven Barrett of Stiofán Bairéad, first Treasurer of Conradh na Gaeilge, and the third Garvey sister married Dr. Green of Westport. Their father James Garvey Esq. was a shoemaker in Longford. James was chosen for the clergy, his elder brother John due to inherit the farm, and trained as a priest but never took holy orders and switched to law. He taught classical languages at St. Patrick's University, Carlow College, where he had studied after informal training in France, before joining the English and Irish Bars. He married Elizabeth O'Neill, only child of Charles Henry O'Neill, The O'Neill of Clanaboy. The eldest son of Felix Cunningham O'Neill of Carlane and Drumderg, he was the senior male of the O'Neills of the Feevagh, descended from Prince Con Mac Brian O'Neill "tanist of Clanaboy". Through his four grandparents, all born O'Neills of Clanaboy or Tyrone, she was descended from all the great heroes of that ancient royal house ; Eoghan Ruadh, Felim of Kinnard, Aodh Mór, Sean an Diomas, Brian Mac Felim, to name just a few. Her mother Margaret, herself an accomplished academic, was the only daughter of Dr. James O'Grady M.R.I.A. who was a teacher of classical languages also at Carlow, where he befriended Bishop Doyle, at whose recommendation he got a post from the Archbishop of Dublin. He was a colleague of O'Connell, and was on stage with him at his great meeting held at Tuam, possibly still the largest event ever held there. By his wife Elizabeth, James Gervé Conroy had two children, Charles Henry O'Neill Conroy and Gertrude Mary. The daughter died shortly after arrival in Newfoundland when the young family moved to St. John's in 1871 and is buried with her parents there. James taught for a short while after arriving in Newfoundland, before qualifying for the bar. He was elected to the Newfoundland House of Assembly as the representative for Ferryland and the Avalon Peninsula in 1872 and again in 1876, once for the Anti-Confederated Party and once as an anti-confederated Liberal. Retiring from politics in 1880 he was appointed as a magistrate for Newfoundland's Central District Court. He had an interesting career as Judge, and in one notable case, presided over a fairy abduction, judging that the man who was carried off for two weeks by the fairies should not have to make up the missed time. He died at Westmount, Montreal, in 1915 at the age of 79 while he was receiving medical treatment. His son Charles O'Neill Conroy married Mary Weathers, daughter of Dr. George Weathers and niece of Bishop William Weathers of London, where he was educated. They moved back to Newfoundland and had a large family with numerous descendants spread across Canada and elsewhere today.
