Bedford B. Smith was born on August 19, 1808 in North Carolina, the son of Thomas A. Smith and Mildred C. (Atkins) Smith.

Bedford B. Smith was married to Elizabeth Teeters on July 23, 1829 in Bledsoe County, Tennessee.

At the time of the 1850 census, Bedford and his family are found in Bledsoe county, Tennessee;
Bedford Smith M 42 North Carolina
Elizabeth Smith F 42 Virginia
Adaline Smith F 20 Tennessee
James Smith M 19 Tennessee
Mary Smith F 18 Tennessee
Thomas Smith M 17 Tennessee
William Smith M 13 Tennessee
Eliza Smith F 14 Tennessee
Samuel Smith M 9 Tennessee
Marion Smith M 7 Tennessee
Jasper Smith M 5 Tennessee
Jacob Smith M 1 Tennessee

At the time of the 1860 census, Bedford and his family are found in Bledsoe County, Tennessee;
Bedford B Smith M 51 North Carolina
Elizabeth Smith F 52 Unknown
Elizia Smith F 22 Tennessee
Samuel Smith M 18 Tennessee
Maron Smith M 16 Tennessee
Jasper Smith M 14 Tennessee
Jacob Smith M 12 Tennessee
Bedford Smith M 9 Tennessee
Daniel Smith M 6 Tennessee

Years later, Hazel (Smith) McKinney remembers her father, Daniel Smith, telling her about his father, Bedford V. Smith. She stated that Dan told her that, "My father was an Abolitionist and a strong believer in the Union." Daniel remembered his father taking him and his brother, Bedford, to a slave auction in Pikeville, Tennessee, about nine miles from their home. Daniel remembered seeing a woman and a 14 year old boy auctioned off like cattle.
Not long after the war began, two of Bedford's sons, Thomas and William, were apparently conscripted into the Confederate army. However, after serving just a brief time, they were able to desert and are believed to have headed north to Illinois. It is recorded in the Bledsoe County Courthouse that on March 2, 1863, Bedford B. Smith sold

Bedford B. Smith died on September 9, 1873 in Franklin County, Illinois and his mortal remains were laid in the