Jean-Baptiste  LECOMPTE dit DUPRE

Occupation

Jean-Baptiste LECOMPTE dit DUPRE was a Marchand, seigneur.
A marchand, or merchant, was a trader who sold a specific type of merchandise or product. Merchants handled most of the supply and distribution of products that came from Europe.
Source: tfcq.ca

A Journey Through Time: Life as a Marchand in 18th Century New France

Québec Généalogie - What is a 'dit/dite' name?  When the first settlers came to Québec from France it was a custom to add a 'dit' nickname to the surname. The English translation of 'dit' is 'said'. The Colonists of Nouvelle France added 'dit' names as distinguishers. A settler might have wanted to differentiate their family from their siblings by taking a 'dit' name that described the locale to which they had relocated. The acquiring of a 'dit' name might also be the result of a casual adoption, whereby the person wanted to honor the family who had raised them. Another reason was also to distinguish themselves by taking as a 'dit' name the town or village in France from which they originated. This custom ended around 1900 when people began using only one name, either the 'dit' nickname or their original surname.

Source: American-French Genealogical Society, Woonsocket, Rhode Island (www.afgs.org/ditnames/index1.html)

Québec Généalogie - The Seigneurial System (1627 - 1854)
The seigneurial system was a form of land settlement modeled on the French feudal system. It began in New France in 1627 with the formation of the Compagnie des Cent-Associés (or Company of 100 Associates), which was initially responsible for handing out land grants and seigneurial rights. The land was divided into five by 15 kilometer plots, usually along major rivers like the St. Lawrence. They were then further subdivided into narrow, but long lots for settlement. These lots were usually long enough to be suitable for faming, and they provided everyone who lived on them with equal access to neighbouring farms and the river. There were three main groups of people who lived off the land in this system: Seigneurs, Habitants and Engagés

Jean-Baptiste LECOMPTE dit DUPRE was a seigneur.
Seigneurs were the most important colonists, as they were usually in the military or aristocracy prior to being a settler. These seigneurs then were charged with the task of subdividing large parcels of land into five by 15 kilometer concessions, then renting this land to a habitant. Under regulations set up by the French government in France, the seigneur could also set up a court of law, set up a mill on his land and organize a commune.

Source: Canada in the Making (www.canadiana.ca/citm/index_e.html)