Isaiah Hoag arrived in Arkham from New Plymouth in 1693, and dark rumors would follow him there and plague the Hoag family for years to come. Abner began his sailing career at fifteen, and at sixteen, he married Bathsheba Randall Marsh of Innsmouth, bringing more controversy to the family name.
At twenty-one, Abner served as a captain for the first time. In 1732, he became one of the first New England traders to trade rum and copra among the Pacific islands. Around 1734, during his stay on the Caroline isle of Ponape, Hoag discovered the original manuscript of the Ponape Scripture. Hoag was unable to read the hieratic Naacal the book was written in, but with the help of his servant Yogash and many years of study, he managed to translate it. Ecclesiastical outcry over references to Dagon kept the book from being published until after his death.
