"Yankee", 1777, antedates 1784--

[Joel S. Berson]

Found by Jim Chevallier [via Google Books, Full view].

An antedating if it is taken as sense 1.b., "By
English writers and speakers commonly applied to
a native or inhabitant of the United States
generally; an American."  The earliest the OED has for this sense is c1784.

[My corrections to Jim's reporting and scanning in brackets below.]

>1767

[I believe this is incorrect, that the year is
actually 1777.  The "Epistle to Dr. Shebbeare"
was printed separately in a number of editions,
all dated 1777, and is available in ECCO.  Additional evidence of date below.]

>An Epistle to Dr. Shebbeare: To which is added, an Ode to Sir Fletcher
>  Norton, in Imitation of Horace, Ode FIJI [that
> is, VIII]. Book IV. By Malcolm Macgreggor,
>of  Knight/bridge, Esq; Author of the Heroic
>Epistle to Sir IVm. [that is, Wm.] Chambers,
>tssc. [that is, &c.]  4to. is. [that is, 1s.]  6d„ Almon.

[From page 26 of the London Review, which does
not, however, contain any date for this one and sixpence publication.]

>  "Nor grudg'd the guinea tax'd upon his head.
>But tush, 1 heed not—for my  country's good
>I'll pay it—it will purchase Yankee blood— "
>
>[In] London review of English and foreign literature
>By William  Kenrick

[Page 30.]
[The London Review title page is surely
misprinted "M,DCC,LXVII" (i.e., 1767).  The
Contents page and the first page of the first
issue in this volume clearly say "July
1777".  This excerpt is from a book review; the
separate publication of the Epistle is presumably a better source.]

>_http://books.google.com/books?pg=PA30&dq=yankee&ei=0hAFTb-gIZOasAPlmtGjDQ&c
>t=result&id=dFEJAAAAQAAJ#v=onepage&q=yankee&f=false_
>(http://books.google.com/books?pg=PA30&dq=yankee&ei=0hAFTb-gIZOasAPlmtGjDQ&ct=result&id=dFEJAAAAQAA
>J#v=onepage&q=yankee&f=false)

[My apologies here; Jim never gives us short URLs.]

Joel

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