Green’s Dictionary of Slang

a native of Tennessee.

1871		Semi-Wkly Louisianan 31 Aug. 1/3: The Nicknames of the States [...] Rhode Island, gun flints; South Carolina, weasels; Tennessee, whelps; Texas, beefheads; Vermont, green mountain boys; Wisconsin, badgers.
1872		Harper’s Mag. Jan. 318/1: Below will be found a careful compilation of the various nicknames given to the States and people of this Republic [...] Tennesseee, Whelps [DA].
1909		J. Ware Passing Eng. of the Victorian Era.