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Found this on a link from WordOrigins.org
The IHS or IHC monogram was (and still is) used on religious articles as an emblem, and people unfamiliar with the Greek assumed that the "H" was a part of the name "Jesus" or of "Jesus Christ." (A similar mistake was made many centuries earlier; a common spelling of Jesus in medieval Latin was "Ihesus.")
The use of "Jesus H. Christ" as a profane oath dates back at least to the late nineteenth century, but was probably around earlier. Mark Twain wrote in his autobiography that even in his childhood the oath was considered old.
From The Mavens' Word of the Day (13 June 1996)
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Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so."
-Douglas Adams
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