Tennessee: Whelp (nickname)

Entry in progress—B.P.
 
22 March 1866, Louisville (KY) Daily Journal, “Nicknames,” pg. 1, col. 4:
The natives of these States are:
... Tennessee, whelps; ...
 
7 April 1866, The Daily Cleveland Herald (Cleveland, OH), “Geographical Nicknames,” pg. 2, col. 2:
... Tennessee, whelps; ...
 
Google Books
U. S.
An Index to the United States of America
Compiled by Malcolm Townsend
Boston, MA: D. Lothrop Company
1890
Pg. 81:
NICKNAMES APPLIED TO THE PEOPLE OF THE STATES.
(...)
Tennessee…Whelps...Is a nickname copied from some authorities, but the origin of the application, or the use of the word is not only unknown to prominent Tennesseans and Societies, but the use of it is denied.