What is "if'n" a contraction of and where does it originate from?

Question

What is "if'n" a contraction of and where does it originate from?

Answer 1

I've never heard of the above contraction before.....altho it may be a short form of "if and when" or just "if and".  

Answer 2

It's a contraction of the words "if" and "when," as if you were writing "if/when." Instead of saying "if or when" or "if and when," it has been contracted to "if'n."

It originates mostly from the south, not because they're lazy (their word choice is actually closer to the British English than the rest of the country), but rather from their southern drawl. The accent causes a lot of slurred words...again, not because they're lazy, but simply because of the pronunciation. It happens everywhere.  

Answer 3

I have never seen this contraction a day in my life, to insinuate Americans create bogus contractions is lowly (to the other answerer).

From a logical standpoint, it could be numerous things.

Obviously the first part is "if."

The second could be "not," "when," "and," "then," etc

Answer 4

No it is not. It originated from the streets of America where people cannot be bothered to speak properly. It simply means "if".