Thanks for your response.
Here's another discussion of the nickname. It gives the suggestions you name, as well as others. Here's an excerpt:
The word "Hoosier" was widely used by the 1830s. Around this time, John Finley of Richmond wrote a poem called The Hoosier's Nest, which was widely read. He wrote the word as "hoosher" and did not explain its meaning, which leads historians to believe that Finley felt his readers would already know and understand the word. Finley wrote, "With men of every hue and fashion, Flock to this rising 'Hoosher' nation."
So, what does the word mean? In 1848, Bartlett's Dictionary of Americanisms defined "Hoosier" as "A nickname given at the west, to natives of Indiana." In John Finley's poem, the word "Hoosher" seems to refer less to the pioneers of Indiana and more to the qualities he thought they possessed, like self-reliance and bravery.
The writer concludes:
We may never know for sure, but research and debate are likely to continue about this mysterious word.
The following theories and stories about the origin of the word "Hoosier" are known to be false:
- It comes from the word Hoosa, which means American Indian maize or corn.
- Hoosier's Men was a term used for Indiana employees of a canal contractor named Hoosier.
- "Who's ear?" – Writer James Whitcomb Riley joked that this question, supposedly posed by early Indiana settlers following tavern fights which had resulted in someone's ear being cut off and left on the floor, eventually became the word "Hoosier."
- "Who's yer/here?" – This was supposedly the way early Indiana settlers would respond to a knock on their cabin doors. The story goes that it was eventually shortened to "Hoosier?"
- "Who's your [relative]?" – Again, legend has it that this question was eventually shortened to "Hoosier?"
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http://www.indianahistory.org/education/hoosier-facts-fun/fun-facts/what-is-a-hoosier#.WYJ9HYTyvIV>
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