Green’s Dictionary of Slang

(orig. US) an emphatic assertion.

1799		Aurora (Phila.) 8 Aug. n.p.: Yes Sir! and [France] has been successful beyond any former experience [DA].
1810		Cobbett’s Wkly Political Register 13 Oct. 11/1: Yes, Sir, I have seen farces as impudently performed [...] Yes, Sir, I have seen common sense as grossly insulted.
1830		Yorks. Gaz. 3 Apr. 4/4: I also had the honour to pay for brown Bess myself. Yes, Sir, and she cost me ten Joes.
1837		Bradford Obs. 26 Oct. 8/4: Yes sir [...] Whotever [sic] is, is right.
1846		Dollar Newspaper 1 July 3/4: ‘Will you take this man to be your lawful husband?’ said the Justice; to which she responded with a breathless haste, ‘Yes, sir-ee’ [DA].
1850		Camden Jrnl (SC) 26 Jan. 1/3: Yes, sir [...] I be a reg’lar born Christian.
1851		Lewiston Gaz. (PA) 14 Nov. 1/5: Yes siree! yer don’t see such sprouts as them growing out of a dry peraire [sic].
1858		Westmorland Gaz. 11 Sept. 8/5: [from N.Y. Teleg.] Britannia has been going off at half cock, same as we did. Yes, Siree, it’s a fact.
1858		Bellevue Gaz. (NE) 25 Mar. 1/5: He [...] exclaimed: ‘Yes, siree; I should think I had seen one of them!’.
1860		J.G. Holland Miss Gilbert’s Career (1870) 239: ‘Got a smart mother, has she?’ ‘Yes sir. No mistake about that.’.
1869		Athens Post (TN) 13 Aug. 2/4: The dod-blasted thing’s done gone up here [...] yes sir-e-e! you bet!
1871		Elk Co. Advocate (Ridgway, PA) 30 Nov. 3/2: ‘Nothing like that in this ’ere town, is there, Bill?’ ‘Why, yes siree, of course there is’.
1872		Schele De Vere Americanisms 224: Yes Sir-ree and no Sir-ree is slang terms and forbidden.
1883		Sedalia Wkly Bazoo (MO) 16 Jan. 8/4: The first man [...] who is not ‘straight’ enough to walk a line no wider than a hair’s breadth, is to be ignominiously “fired”.’ ‘Yes, sir, fired’.
1884		Northern Trib. (Chboygan, MI) 30 Oct. 6/1: ‘You are in favor of extending American commerce, I suppose.’ ‘Yes, siree’.
1888		C.E. Craddock Despot of Broomsedge Cove 40: Yes, sir [...]. None like ’em now.
1891		in Punch 21 Feb. 85: ‘Yes,’ he went on, ‘that’s it. Yes, Sirree.’.
1897		Ade Pink Marsh (1963) 164: If Peteh eveh comes back ’iss way, somebody has sutny got to be eat, yes, seh!
1900		S.F. Call 28 Oct. 2/1: Yes, siree [...] It certainly is queer how afraid some folk are of the sea.
1906		M.E. Freeman By the Light of the Soul 398: ‘You don’t mean to say they did all that?’ said the other woman, in a tone of admiration. ‘Yes, sir, they did.’.
1914		Day Book (Chicago) 12 Nov. 10/2: Yes, siree, they’re all right — but not in the head.
1920		Central Record (Lancaster, KY) 27 May 7/2: [advert] Yes Siree! We made this cigarette to meet your taste! Camel cigraettes.
1926		(con. 1918) L. Nason Chevrons 39: Yessir and be damn! I’m glad to see you.
1935		(con. 1920s) J.T. Farrell Judgement Day in Studs Lonigan (1936) 522: Yessir, Studs Lonigan was going to be up in the bucks.
1939		H. Miller Tropic of Capricorn (1964) 247: Plato had an idea or two in his bean, yes sir, yes siree.
c.1940		‘The Castration of the Strawberry Roan’ in G. Logsdon Whorehouse Bells Were Ringing (1995) 95: Old Strawberry’s chargin’, he’s mean, yes sir-ee, / That bastard’s a-kickin’ the shit out of me.
1951		S. Lewis World So Wide 25: Yes-sir-ee! You’ll thank me big!
1954		Wodehouse Jeeves and the Feudal Spirit 165: Yessir, a cosh!
1955		K. Amis letter 27 Feb. in Leader (2000) 423: When you come back we’ll have that lunch, yes sir.
1958		R. Prather Scrambled Yeggs 40: Yes siree, sir. Smart. Smart kid, that.
1971		B. Moyers Listening to America 42: Attorneys? ‘Yessir.’.
1980		M. Bail Homesickness (1999) 181: The right taste ... the right length ... yes, sir-ree!
1984		(con. 1966) C. White Life and Times of Little Richard 205: Yes, sir. Little Richard has done a lot for me and my soul brothers in the music business.
1999		K. Sampson Powder 480: ‘Oh yes, sir!’ Mel guffawed. ‘Oh yes indeedy, sir!’.