Jacob was the son of Joel Buffington and Elizabeth Logan. The family lived on Buffington Island which was a small path of land located in the Ohio River. At the time Jacob was born Buffington Island was also part of the state of Virginia, later to become West Virginia after the Civil War.
Throughout Jacob's life he moved quite a bit. He first moved to Ohio from Virginia and then back to Buffington Island, then returned to Ohio. He married Milban Harvey (better known as Amelia Ann Harvey) on Jun 26, 1804 in Gallia County, Ohio.
He next moved to Illinois. There he was a farmer and bought land in various places. After living in a place for sometime, he would sell the land and move on. He was last living in the very small township of Beverly, southeast of Quincy, Ill. At one point his wife was not living with him, perhaps separated.

Information about Jacob's death:
The Illinois State Archives On-line Index for the Adams County Almshouse lists Jacob Buffington as an inmate. (inmate was used for the word resident) Almshouses (poor houses) were used to house the poor and mentally disturbed.
The transcription in the State Archives read:
Jacob Buffington, Age 97, Farmer, Noisy (Civil Condition), Adams County, poor (health), April 20, 1880 (Date of Admission), Owns a farm, Supervision (Authority for Admission), Insanity (Supposed Cause of Pauperism.), Died May 1st, 1880 (not sure on 1st as copy is dark.)

Information about Jacob's burial:
Recently found was a clue to Jacob's Burial site. Some had thought he was buried at the Almshouse (poor house) for Adams County (Gilmer, Ill.) where he was admitted a month prior to his death. However, it was listed in the source below that he was buried in the Township of Beverly. Beverly was his hometown prior to being put in the Almshouse. It doesn't list which cemetery he would have been buried in. It could have been one of two; "Old Beverly Cemetery" or "Mount Prairie Cemetery" where his brother's family was buried as well.
My guess is that Jacob was buried at the "Old Beverly Cemetery" since it was an older cemetery. His wife, Amelia, died prior to him and could have been buried there as well. This cemetery has not been well taken care of. Read more about it here http://www.usgennet.org/usa/il/state2/adams_beverly_cemetery.htm

Here is the source to this information about his burial:
Cemeteries of Adams County, Volume VI (Page 80)
"Additions and Corrections" section of volume
Published by: The Great River Genealogical Society
Place: Quincy, Illinois
Date: Spring 1990
TRANSCRIPT FROM RECORD:
Name: Buffington, Jacob
Age; 97 years
Death date; May 1, 1880
Died; Adams County poor farm, buried - Beverly


** Interesting fact. Jacob resided at the same Almshouse along with Rhoda Derry. She is a well know mental patient that was treated poorly which forced major changes in how mental patients were treated. She later was moved from the almshouse and treated elsewhere. You can read about her here on Find a Grave by searching her name.