Career
Following the death of Louis XIV, religious persecution became less severe, and religious attitudes in France became more tolerant. As a result, in 1744, Ladébat was able to return to France. In 1755, Ladébat began to trade in the colonies of the French West Indies and, from 1764, this included the slave trade.
In 1769, no longer content to trade in naval weapons and wine, he created a sugar plantation in the French colony of Saint-Domingue, and began clearing and cultivating land in Bordeaux by buying several hundred acres straddling Pessac and Merignac.
He built a model farm called "Bellevue," which produced grain, flour, wine, lumber, silkworms and trained farm hands. His grant of arms symbolized his areas of success: "Azure, a gushing fountain of money surmounted by a golden sun with two anchors." The motto "Soyez Utile" accompanied the arms.
