Antedating of "Hillbilly"

[Shapiro, Fred]

OED has 1900 as its first use for _hillbilly_.  The current issue of _American Speech_ has an article giving 1893 as the earliest known citation (a discovery by Bill Mullins posted on ADS-L).  Here's an earlier one I found today:

1891 _The Mississippian_ (Jackson, Miss.) 22 Apr. (19th Century U.S. Newspapers)  (heading)  ANOTHER SOCKDOLOGER.  The Old Farmer "Inquirer" Has Another Say.  HE'S A LONG HEADED "HILL BILLY"


Fred Shapiro



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Fred R. Shapiro                                            Editor
Associate Librarian for Collections and        YALE BOOK OF QUOTATIONS
  Access and Lecturer in Legal Research     Yale University Press
Yale Law School                                           ISBN 0300107986
e-mail: fred.shapiro at yale.edu
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