Prior to 1847, William purchased Lot 1 Concession D, on the shores of Lake Ontario at the southeastern corner of York County and Scarborough Township (8). Most of the following details on his life are derived from the book _Highland Creek Story_, by John Spilsbury, a Scarborough historian (17). In 1847, William Hetherington, known as "Will", along with partners Daniel Knowles and William Helliwell, founded the highly successful Scarborough, Pickering, and Markham Wharf Company . A pier known as the Port Union Wharf was built on Hetherington's property. The wharf was used by farmers to ship wood, lumber, potash, grain, and apples to other cities around the lake. It extended 250 feet into Lake Ontario and had a storehouse at the land end which was used by farmers to unload their grain. In 1856, Hetherington and his partners built the Caledonia, a 95 ton, two-masted schooner. This sailing ship traded around the Great Lakes until it went aground at Oshawa, Ontario in 1880. Another enterprise of Will Hetherington's was the Union Hotel, opened in 1850. This hotel catered primarily to sailors, farmers and tradesmen waiting to send, receive, or transport cargo. It was reportedly famous for its "knock 'em stiff" whiskey. Port Union was a bustling transport hub for the area just east of Toronto. In addition to the shipping industry, it was the site of a station for the "Grand Trunk Railroad". In 1860, Hetherington found he had to rebuild his hotel to remain competitive with several new establishments which had sprung up.

"In June 1848 when the Port Union Wharf Company was building their wharf and a number of men were employed there by William Fisher the contractor, William Hetherington who had purchased a lot from Thomas Adams and built a house and was the owner of a small schooner lay it at anchor off the place where the wharf was being erected with his son and one sailor. When his wife came to the Lake bank and signalled him to come to dinner the wind at the time blowing off the shore a gale, they accordingly all three got into a small scow or punt without any oars, simply a pole, as the water was not deep where the schooner lay. The wind being strong and they having only one pole, the scow twisted about until they got out of shoal water and the pole was useless and the wind striking them with great effect. When they got out of the corner of the land there were driven into the Lake to certain death, as it was supposed, in the sight of a dozen men, and there was a vessel laying at anchor but no boat or means of getting on board or they might have been followed and rescued from their perilous situation. Thus they were driven to sea in the sight of his wife and family and a number of men, gradually diminishing in size until they finally disappeared and nothing visible but the angry rolling waves of Lake Ontario. On realizing their position they lashed the pole amidship to hold on by and disposed of themselves to the best advantage to keep their frail boat from upsetting. They fortunately had a small tin dish with which they baled out the water that came over the side. In this way, driving before a terrific gale, they were wafted across the Lake and driven onto the American side at about twelve o'clock p.m., thus making the passage in about twelve hours. Some twelve or fourteen miles below the Niagara River they left their boat on the shore and walked to the River where they arrived in time to get the Transit Steamer to Toronto where they arrived in due course, and reached Port Union at eight or nine o'clock where they assembled their relatives and friends mourning their sad fate, not doubting but they were reposing on the bottom of the Lake. The surprise and joy of the party assembled may be imagined but not described. Hetherington for all his miraculous escape was doomed to be drowned, which happened some years later along with two others in endeavouring to rescue some shipwrecked sailor in the MacKinnon Straits." ( Note from author: I cannot locate this feature on any map or atlas; if anyone knows where it is, please let me know.)

The date of William's death and the location of his burial are not known at this time, however, the date can be established as being between 1860 and 1869, since he is mentioned as enlarging his hotel in 1860 and is not mentioned in the 1871 census or the mortality index for 1870 (15,17). William's wife Margaret died 2 August,1870 and was buried at St. Margaret in the Pines Church, Scarborough (16).

The wharf was destroyed by a storm in 1895. It had been losing business to the railroads and was never rebuilt (17) In the 1930's an asbestos plant was built on the site of the Union Hotel and Port Union Wharf. The plant is now defunct and the environmental remediation of the site is underway. (See the website of the Port Union Village Homeowners Association ) (19).