I Will Never Forget: Amidst the Thorns & Thistles

By Rufus Lee Brown

This latest novel is a true and actual account of my mother, Mrs. Queenie Mae Brooks-Jones-Brown-Monroe-Myers in her early teen years leading into adulthood. This latest novel is part 2 of the lifes experiences that Queenie had to endure, as well as the many abuses, hardships, and humiliations.

This is a true account as told to me by my mother and is the follow-up novel to her first novel entitled You Bet Not Cry!, which was released in 2015.

One book could not encompass the devastating abuses and sufferings Queenie Mae endured, as she had experienced so much pain and hurt at such a young age.

This book includes and concludes with the demise of her adoptive father, who was a sexual predator, child molester, and child abuser. He was James C. Butterfly Jones, the mammoth of a man and destructive pedophile who humiliated Queenie Mae until the end of his existence.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Aug 6, 2018
• ISBN: 9781984539724

Rufus Lee Brown

My name is Rufus Lee Brown and I became an author in 2015. I began my writings as early as my high school years by entering poetry contests held by my high school. For me, literary writing was fun, enjoyable and challenging. I was raised by my mother, Mrs. Queenie Mae Brooks-Brown-Monroe-Myers, which now resides in Valdosta Georgia. Currently, I reside in Orlando, Florida. I am a Floridian, having lived in Florida my entire life. Creative writing is inspiring, moving and inspirational. My inspiration for writing books of poetry and other genres of literature has been in my lifes blood since those high school days, and the first poem I wrote. Since then, I have continued to move forward, writing Books of Poetry and Novels, also. Though, my interest has always been to write children books, my mother implored me to write her true-life story.

Book preview

Copyright © 2018 by Rufus Lee Brown.

ISBN:                  Softcover                         978-1-9845-3973-1

                            eBook                               978-1-9845-3972-4

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Rev. date: 08/22/2018

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Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1   Butterfly Jones’ Legacy In Jeopardy

Chapter 2   Butterfly Jones Prepares For The Worst

Chapter 3   Reverend Charlie Louis Brown: The Savior?

Chapter 4   Bo Diddley Works On Butterfly Jones’ Farm

Chapter 5   Butterfly Jones’ Death: Allegedly Murdered?

Chapter 6   Threats Of Death To Rose E. Jones And Her Family

Chapter 7   I Will Never Forget! – The Song Of Teen Queenie

Chapter 8   I Will Always Remember By Queenie’s Son, Rufus

Conclusion

Book Resources

This book is dedicated to my mother, Queenie Mae Brooks-Jones-Brown-Monroe-Myers and to my youngest brother, Mr. Bobby Monroe, whom we miss and loved so much…

Brother.jpg

Ten years the youngest

and so many years, the fondest.

Truest brother friendship, the longest

our love for Bobby Roe Monroe

until World’s end, the strongest.

Rest ‘N’ Peace, Bro…

Introduction

While the warring nations indulged in World War II, on the battlefields of Europe to prevent world domination of a mad man and a serious maniac name Adolf Hitler, the Leader of the Nazi Party;

In a rural area of the State of Florida called Long Pond in Alachua County, a little Colored girl, recently adopted by two strangers is undergoing tremendous pain and agony. She does not want to forget all the abuses and atrocities she had experience as a little girl and teenager. So, this little girl turned teenager has made a commitment to herself to ‘never forget, but to remember’ all her life’s experiences.

I Will Never Forget! – Amidst the Thorns and Thistles details the many hurtful pains that James C. ‘Butterfly’ Jones and his wife, Rose E. Jones did to me at their farm."

This is only a brief summation from the song that Teen Queenie noted about her life in the Jones’ home.

***Another short passage from this book, my mother’s latest novel about her life, reveals new truths:

Rufus, son, Butterfly Jones brought in three workers to assist on the farm. One of those three workers that jeered and mocked me was Ellas Otha Bates or Ellas McDaniel.

Who in the world is that, mom? I have never heard of that person.

"The music industry, many people living in Alachua County and around the globe came to know of him as, the Rock & Roll Legend, Bo Diddley. This incident occurred when he came to work for Butterfly Jones while he was dwelling in Archer, Florida before he became famous.

Wow! I did not know Bo Diddley lived in Archer. So, what happened, mom? What did these three guys do at your father’s farm to cause him to whip you?

Bo Diddley killed one of father’s chickens and, he along with his two co-workers blamed it on me, telling my adoptive father that I killed the chicken and threw it into the barn.

Son, those three guys lied to Butterfly Jones, telling him that I killed that chicken. Butterfly Jones proceeded to tie me to a tree and began whipping me with his cow’s whip. I could hear them snickering as Butterfly Jones whipped and marked my back, buttocks and legs with his whip. ***

Wow, how cruel! My mother truly suffered much agony growing up as a kid and a teenager."

Chapter One

BUTTERFLY JONES’ LEGACY IN JEOPARDY

James C ‘Butterfly’ Jones and his wife, Rose E. Jones have acquired large quantities of land during their marriage and residing in Alachua County. The Jones’ owns property of nine-hundred plus acres of some of the finest land for growing good crops at their mailing address at Route One Box Forty-Four in Long Pond of Alachua County.

These nine-hundred-plus acres has a large pond on it and all of it is –— paid off and belongs to the Jones’.

In fact, many of their neighbors are homeowners with extensive landholdings as well. Some of their closes neighbors includes; Frances and Henry Dixon, Ned and Mettie Robinson, Polly and Grant Williams, Moss and Phillip Campbell, Willie and Reda Scott, Brady, the Leila Wiley family and V. Whitehurst and family. (Ancestry.com, State of FL. Census, 1867 - 1945)

Mother indicates that the Whitehurst family were White folks–that owned substantial and sizable quantity of land in the Alachua County area. Also, the Whitehurst’s family owned property in Williston, Florida in Levy County.

The Jones’ many acres are good quality land with rich soils for planting and growing crops. Their land produce good crops of corn, beans, peas, squash, cucumbers and other foods or vegetables. Also, they would grow cotton and tobacco from the good soil on their property.

So, it is quite easy for those close neighbors of the Jones’ to see that their crops are being grown in good quality soils. Eventually, this would cause or create dissension in the Alachua County surrounding areas.

Tension is mounting in the early Nineteen-Forties in this seemingly quiet –— yet, peaceful area of Alachua County.

On the home-front, Little Queenie is a young – vibrant, yet –-sad twelve-year-old girl heading towards her thirteenth birthday.

Little Queenie is living her young life –- Amidst the Thorns and Thistles –— at the farm of her adoptive folks. She is going to school part-time and/or only when she’s allowed to go.

She continues to help her adoptive parents with –- many farm duties; feeding the chickens, collecting eggs, feeding the horses and mules, the ducks and the hogs.

Also, she must work in the fields picking cotton, peas, squash, cucumbers and other vegetables that the good land has produced.

Also, Little Queenie must take special care of their farm animals; mainly the hogs, cows, mules and horses. This responsibility has been placed upon her by her adoptive parents.

Many of days, she will ride her favorite horse, Bandit into the many pastures and fields on their large parcel of land to round up stray animals; horses, hogs and cows that wanders off. Little Queenie knows that all these farm chores are essential tasks assigned to her and, she does these farm chores without question.

There is one incident that occurred when Little Queenie was about the age of twelve that I failed to mention in my first autobiography book about her life.

The tension is rising or heating up because someone in the surrounding rural areas are robbing or stealing the Jones’ animals or livestock. Their livestock is being rustled or stolen from them, during the daylight hours and in the late evenings.

Someone is cutting the fences and removing livestock; unwantedly.

There are several –— very close neighbors to the Jones’— as mentioned earlier; the Campbell family and the Whitehurst family are Caucasians folks and the Scotts and Robinsons family are Colored folks or Negroes.

During the early years of the twentieth century, African Americans or Black people were deemed as Colored or Negroes, these expressions used to describe the different races of people.

They were distinguished as either White folks or Colored folks.

The Whitehurst’s and the Robinsons have a relation bond because some members of the Robinson family are employed by the Whitehurst family.

So, these close neighbors have lived here together in Alachua County for many years, both Colored families and White families in the surrounding rural areas.

Seemingly, the Whites and Colored or Black people got along, well. At one point in time; James C. ‘Butterfly’ Jones and Mr. V. Whitehurst would communicate on a friendly basis discussing the farming business, town activities, etc. So, it would appear