Family
Norman Kittson had been married three times. His first wife, Élise Marion (1831-1868) a Métis from the Red River Colony. She was a daughter of blacksmith Narcisse Marion and the sister of Roger Marion (1846-1920), a conservative Member of Parliament. Kittson had many friends among the Red River Métis including a first cousin, Ambrose Lépine, who was an associate of Louis Riel. The Marion family, however, were opposed to Riel's Red River Rebellion. When Élise died in 1868, Kittson took her body back to St. Boniface for burial among her family and childhood friends. He then married the Swiss Sophia Perret (1817-1889), daughter of Abraham Perret (also sometimes spelt Perry), and finally he married Mary Cochrane (1842-1886). In total, Kittson was the father of nine children by his three wives. Kittson died 10 May 1888 in a dining car after ordering dinner while traveling on the Chicago and North Western Railway towards St. Paul. It was said of him that "he gave willingly but not ostentatiously to charitable causes".
Kittson left an estate of over one million dollars to be divided between his children. In 1894, an Indian by the name of Margaret Robinson declared that she had been married to Norman Kittson in 1833, and produced a copy of the supposed marriage certificate. However, her claim for over half a million dollars turned out to be false on the account that much of the information given on the certificate was incorrect, namely that Wisconsin - where it was written that they had been married - had not existed at that time.
Read more about this topic: Norman Kittson
Famous quotes containing the word family:
“With all the attention paid to your new baby, it’s easy for your own feelings and needs to get lost in the shuffle. Although all parents engage in some self-sacrifice for their children, keep in mind that your goal isn’t just to raise a happy, healthy child. You want that child to be part of a happy, healthy family as well.”
—Lawrence Kutner (20th century)
“You can read the best experts on child care. You can listen to those who have been there. You can take a whole childbirth and child-care course without missing a lesson. But you won’t really know a thing about yourselves and each other as parents, or your baby as a child, until you have her in your arms. That’s the moment when the lifelong process of bringing up a child into the fold of the family begins.”
—Stella Chess (20th century)
“Our children need to be able to see us take a stand for a value and against injustices, be those values and injustices in the family room, the boardroom, the classroom, or on the city streets.”
—Barbara Coloroso (20th century)