Nicolas Joseph des Noyelles

Nicolas Joseph des Noyelles (or Desnoyelles) was born in France in 1694. He was the son of Colonel Joseph des Noyelles, of Crecy.

In New France, Noyelles worked his way up the military career ladder to hold the position of captain in the marine department. He had also served as commandant at the Miamis (near present day Toledo)

In 1736, Noyelles was appointed commandant of Fort Ponchartrain. On May 6, 1736, he left Montreal for Fort Ponchartrain. In the meantime, the King, who rejected Noyelles commission (neither Noyelles nor governor Beauharnois knew this at the time), had awarded the position to Pierre Jacques Payan de Noyan, Sieur de Charvis (Chavois?). Charvis had not yet left for Fort Ponchartrain, and the villagers really liked Noyelles, so Beauharnois never told him of the King's rejection. He maintained the post for a full three years.

In 1739, Noyelles joined an explorer named Verendrye in an expedition west in search of a water route to the Pacific Ocean.

The date of his death in unknown.