[1] Bedford Brown was born on June 6, 1795, in what now is Locust Hill Township, Caswell County, North Carolina.

The couple had seven children: William Livingston, Bedford, Jr., Wilson Glenn, Isabella Virginia, Laura, and Rosalie.

Leading up to the Civil War, Brown, a state senator again from 1858 to 1860, counseled in favor of North Carolina's remaining in the Union.

However, after President Lincoln requested troops from North Carolina to serve in the Union Army, Brown, along with most of his colleagues, supported secession.

However, the Reconstruction Republicans controlled the North Carolina Legislature and refused to seat Brown.