Thomas "Blind Tom" Wiggins - Battle of Manassas (1861)

My greatest-grandfather was the first African-American to perform at the White House. Not only was he blind, but he was autistic. He is referenced as the 167 most famous autistic person in the world; Throughout his life, he toured Great Britain, Scotland, Europe, Canada, the Rocky Mountain states, the far West, and South America. By 1861, my greatest-grandfather was giving prestigious performances such as one in Washington, D.C. for the first Japanese diplomats to visit the United States. He performed for the likes of Mark Twain and he earned his slave owners a fortune of $750,000, bringing home $50,000 per year - in which reports claim that he gave it all to charity. Charity being his owners.... -Teisha Dynell Wiggins aka Miss $wiss www.miss-swiss.com FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER @MISS__SWISS