Juhan was born in October 1764. Juhan's father was Volmer and his mother was Mai. His paternal grandparents were Märt and Ann; his maternal grandparents were Andres and Ann. He had four brothers and three sisters, named Peeter, Jaan, Märt, Ado, Liis, Tiiu and Eva. He was the oldest of the eight children. He died at the age of 42 in September 1807.