Bills guard David Snow: True American

When researching the Mendola family tree, we learned that our fifth cousin is Brandi Chastain. And while taking off your shirt after scoring a Women’s World Cup winning goal is super patriotic, Bills guard David Snow has us beat.

Surely when Constance Hopkins crossed the Atlantic on the Mayflower, she held the American dream: to have a great-great-great-great-great-great-great-abunchmoregreats-grandson who would play offensive line in the National Football League.

Well dreams come true in America and one of Connie’s descendants learned of their connection a few month ago when his cousin began climbing the family tree. Snow can trace his roots back to the vessel that left Southampton for America in 1620. No joke.

Constance was not available for comment because she passed in the 17th century.

“It’s really cool cause William Bradford wrote about her in The Mayflower Compact,” Snow said. ”Her bonnet or something like that is in some museum up there.”

Hopkins came over with her father, mother and siblings, one who was born on the ship (!) and named Oceanus (Pre-colonial humour!). She later married Nicholas Snow and the Snows went on from there. She had 12 children, which is a lot. One of those passed the genes on for a good ol’ Texas offensive lineman.

Snow said the line went on to produce fighters in the Revolutionary and Civil War, so there’s a pretty solid run of historical significance in the family tree.

“You read stuff in history classes and to think that you’re family had a part in it is really cool,” Snow said.