Norman's grandfather, Thomas Kittson, was in the British Army, probably in the 24th Regiment of Foot,[5] and likely was killed or taken prisoner in the fall of 1777 at the Battles of Saratoga.

Julia and Alexander had four children born out of wedlock, and did marry by licence in 1785, Montreal, likely after the official news that her husband was deceased.

His step-grandfather Alexander Henry and four of his five paternal uncles had all been active in the fur trade, particularly the North West Company.

It therefore was no surprise that, seeking adventure, in 1830 he took an apprenticeship with the American Fur Company at Michilimackinac, where Alexander Henry and many others from Sorel had been active.

[11] In 1844, maintaining a large degree of independence, Kittson established a permanent post at Pembina, North Dakota, where he made his headquarters.

[12] Kittson collected furs from James Sinclair and established strong connections to the local French Canadians.

In 1856, he opened a store at St. Boniface (now modern Winnipeg, Manitoba) and the following year he and other merchants shipped over $120,000 of furs from the Red River Settlement to St Paul.

Sir George Simpson, the governor of Kittson's old rival, the Hudson's Bay Company, described him in the 1850s as "the most extensive and respectable of the American traders doing business at Red River".

In 1862, the Hudson's Bay Company appointed him shipping agent and head of navigation on the Red River, a position he retained throughout the 1860s to the great mutual benefit of both Kittson and the HBC.

They were the only operators on the Red River during the 1870s, and were important factors in the development of Winnipeg and south Manitoba through the transportation of immigrants, mail and supplies.

Norman Kittson was possessed of "a sartorial elegance and a love of race horses,"[16] and it was this latter interest on which he concentrated after retiring from business.

His stables at Midway Park, St. Paul and at Erdenheim Farm near Philadelphia, kept some of the finest thoroughbreds and made him one of the most prominent race horse owners in the country.

In 1882, with his brother, James, they had purchased Aristides Welch's renowned stud farm at Erdenheim, Pennsylvania, and the bulk of its bloodstock at Chestnut Hill for $100,000.

Kittson had many friends among the Red River Métis including a first cousin, Ambrose Lépine, who was an associate of Louis Riel.

Kittson died May 10, 1888 in a dining car after ordering dinner while he was traveling on the Chicago and North Western Railway towards St. Paul.