Pierre-Benoit Payen De Noyan

He was the officer in the colonial regular troops. The latter arrived in Louisiana in 1722 as half-pay ensign because of the "good reports about him and the man's value." He came to join his brother, Gilles-Augustin Payen de Noyan, who had held a post there since 1717, and his uncle, Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, commandant general of the colony. His first stay in Louisiana was short, since he returned to France in 1726 after a new administration's purge of Bienvillists. On May 8, 1730 De Noyan was appointed ensign on the active list on Ile Royale (Cape Breton Island). He served in Charles de Saint-Etienne de la Tour's company until the latter's death in 1731 and for some years after that. In 1732 Bienville was appointed Governor of Louisiana, and in 1735 De Noyan obtained permission to return there as a lieutenant. The following year he was appointed assistant-adjutant of Fort Conde (Mobile, Alabama). As a soldier he concentrated his activity upon the struggles between the French and the Indians. He took part in several expeditions against the Chickasaws and the Natchez and was even slightly wounded. In 1739 he was sent to map a route to the Chickasaw country for an impending French attack. He was at that time commandant of Fort de l'Assomption (Memphis, Tennessee). On October 1, 1740 Louis XV recognized his services by promoting his captain. Although the documents make no mention of him, De Noyan may have distinguished himself on a few occasions, since he was appointed town major of New Orleans around 1750. He received the Cross of Saint-Louis in 1752.* Reference: Find A Grave Memorial - SmartCopy: Oct 15 2018, 19:42:45 UTC