"ville de ..." means "city (or town) of ..."
For instance, "la ville de Paris".
french
Yes, Jacques de Vaucanson is a French-born inventor and mechanic.
Fabric made in Nimes in the south of France."from Nimes"- in French: de Nimes. (the terminal 'es' in French is silent)
the Victorian period is called in French "époque victorienne" or "ère de la vapeur" (relatively to the developments of the steam motors)
The best known work of Alexis de Tocqueville is titled "Democracy in America," which is a work written about political and social issues of the US in the 1800's.
what sort of town is it?
De quelle? in French means "Of what?" in English.
"Dans ma ville il y a..." Dans ma ville il y a un bureau de poste à côté de l'hôtel de ville
Coup de grâce in French is "killing blow" in English.
Terrain de sport in French is "sports ground" in English.
Pas de soucis! in French means "No worries!" in English.
Coup de la... in French means "blow of the..." in English.
"et de" means "and of".
Compagnie de gestion in French means "management company" in English.
Qui est de Paris? in French is "Who is from Paris?" in English.
Café de l'amour in French means "coffeehouse of love" in English.
Chaîne de montagnes in French means "mountain range" in English.