Wild guess here, and I’m not super clear what a maelstrom even is but I know it involves the sea, and those are the Cliffs of Moher in West Ireland. Perhaps the maelstrom has something to do with their origins?

EDIT: well silly me, those cliffs are millions of years old so the date here wouldn’t line up. Idk then, perhaps that’s when the family immigrated and the hypothetical maelstrom is intended to mess with the timeline, meaning OP is saved from Missouri.

EDIT2: Fatal mistake, OP - the maelstrom did not deal an effective enough blow, but you did fuck with the timeline just enough that you are now sentenced to life in Louisiana! Better luck next time!