The papers of the Den, Bell, and Luton Families are focused largely on land ownership by brothers Nicholas and Richard Den, early settlers of Santa Barbara and Los Angeles, and their heirs. They highlight the transition in land tenure during the Mexican period and early years of California statehood as well as the inner operations of land and oil development in Santa Barbara County during the first part of the twentieth century.

Nicholas August Den (1812–1862), son of Emanuel Den and Katherine O'Shea, came to California, by way of Nova Scotia, from Waterford, Ireland. Den had studied to become a medical doctor in Dublin, and although there is no record of his having graduated, he became the first medical doctor in the Santa Barbara area, moving there in 1836. He later served as mayor of Santa Barbara. He married Rosa A. Hill, a daughter of Daniel A. Hill in 1843 and died in 1862, leaving ten children.

2.2 Linear Feet 2 record storage boxes

All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Archivist and Librarian. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation Research Center as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the reader.

Collection is open to researchers.