09/28/2026
Monument Monday 🪦
Dr. Jacob Offnere
Born - October 4, 1775
Died - December 12, 1859
Dr. Jacob Offnere was born on October 4, 1775, in Virginia. His father, Samuel, was a native of the Canton of Berne, Switzerland, and his mother, Sarah Carpenter, was from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Samuel lived in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and was the owner of “Wheatland”, the estate later owned by President James Buchanan.
After the death of Samuel, Sarah began practicing medicine and was able to support herself and her children. Her sons Jacob and George came to Portsmouth before 1810.
Dr. Jacob Offnere was the eldest son, and he had studied medicine with his grandfather. When he came to Scioto County he had his Doctor of Medicine diploma, a horse, saddle, bridle, and saddle bags. He became one of the wealthiest men in the city.
He built a house on the river and in 1823 built another in the area of Front and Market Streets. The house had a large hall in the center that went from front to back with a view of the beautiful flower garden from the front door. His daughter, Harriet, married Charles Damarin in the home.
He did not practice medicine until 1830. He was known to have a natural ability for business and that profession suited him well. He invested in real estate buying large amounts of land and rarely sold any. It was said the third generation still possessed most of the land he acquired.
The first official information of him in Portsmouth was 1810, when he was elected treasurer of Wayne Township. In 1817, he was elected township and road supervisor, he accepted the appointment because he wanted good roads and to keep out of the mud. From 1819 to 1823, he served as County Treasurer. In 1823, the town authorities appointed him and Drs. Waller and Hempstead to investigate the slaughter houses in Portsmouth to report on the health concerns of the public. The report is not on record.
In 1820, he was running a nail factory in the city. In 1839, he was a director of the Commercial Bank of Portsmouth and also a health officer.
Dr. Offnere’s principal business was a mill on what was known as York Place. George Corwin was his business partner for many years and they were very successful.
Dr. Offnere owned considerable real estate and was a proponent for good roads and improvements. He was a prominent Mason and instrumental in the funding of the first Masonic Temple building.
He was elected to the town council in 1823, but refused to serve. In 1824, he was one of the three health officials of Portsmouth which later became the Board of Health of Portsmouth.
His wife, Mary Harness, was born in 1775, and died in 1843. He never remarried. They had three children, Caroline and Samuel, both dying young, and Harriet, who married into the Damarin family.
“Dr. Offnere had the faculty of King Midas. He was always successful in business. He was exact and precise in all his business methods and far seeing. He was a useful and valuable citizen and contributed much to the material progress of the town of his adoption.”
Dr. Jacob Offnere died on December 12, 1859, at the age of 83. He, along with his wife, Mary, are buried in the Methodist section near Grant Street.
