He moved to Fredrikstad (then Fredriksstad) in 1848 where he was first employed by Peder Gelertsen & Co.[2][3][4] In 1852, Jacobsen started his own wooden shop, based in the village of Græsvig.
Through transactions in 1856 and 1859, he amassed a large property at the village of Græsvig on the peninsula of Onsøy outside of Fredrikstad.
Græsvig Brugs Skole, a school for children of workers at the sawmill, was founded in 1862.
[9] He was also a member of the city council's executive committee from 1868 to 1894 and served as deputy mayor for some time.
Jacobsen subsequently ordered the erection of a new house at Lykkeberg, drawn in Gothic style by the nationally known architect Paul Due.
[12][13][14] His daughter Elna Andrea Jacobsen (1870–1958) was married to sports official Johan Sverre between 1893 and 1917.