Dirk was born on January 3rd, 1717 in Niawier. Dirk's father was Hein Joukes and his mother was Antje Fokkes. His maternal grandparents were Fokke Ruurds and Dirkien Harderwijk. He had three brothers named Fokke, Ruird and Dirk. He was the youngest of the four children. He died at the age of 71 on March 27th, 1788.