He was born in Tromsøe as the son of Michael Wide Holmboe (1791–1863) and his wife Anna Rasch Schjelderup (1794–1878).
[1] His grandfather Jens Holmboe was a bailiff, and his uncles Even, Hans and Leonhard were involved in politics, so were his brother Jens Holmboe and grandnephew Anton Johan Rønneberg.
[2] Jakobine was a daughter of Anthon Theodor Harris, and their son Johan Henrik Rye Holmboe became a notable politician.
He was named for Jakobine's paternal grandfather Johan Henrik Rye.
[3] Conrad Holmboe was a central person in the business life of Tromsø, one of the largest cities in Norway, for seventy years.